LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


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THE  SOUL  OF  THE  INDIAN 


THE    VISION 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE 
INDIAN 


BY 


CHARLES    ALEXANDER    EASTMAN 

(OHIYESA) 

AUTHOR  OF   "INDIAN   BOYHOOD,"   ETC. 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON   MIFFLIN   COMPANY 

(£b?  fiifcergibe  press  Cambridge 

1911 


LIBRARY'S  f  USD 


COPYRIGHT,   1911,  BY  CHARLES  ALEXANDER   EASTMAN 
ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED 

Published  February  IQII 


TO   MY  WIFE 
ELAINE   GOODALE  EASTMAN 

IN    GRATEFUL    RECOGNITION    OF    HER 
EVER-INSPIRING    COMPANIONSHIP 

IN    THOUGHT    AND    WORK 
AND  IN  LOVE  OF  HER  MOST 

INDIAN-LIKE  VIRTUES 
I    DEDICATE    THIS    BOOK 


212110 


I  speak  for  each  no-tongued  tree 
That,  spring  by  spring,  doth  nobler  be, 
And  dumbly  and  most  wistfully 
His  mighty  prayerful  arms  outspreads, 
And  his  big  blessing  downward  sheds. 

SIDNEY  LANIER. 


But  there 's  a  dome  of  nobler  span, 

A  temple  given 
Thy  faith,  that  bigots  dare  not  ban  — 

Its  space  is  heaven ! 

It's  roof  star-pictured  Nature's  ceiling, 
Where,  trancing  the  rapt  spirit's  feeling, 
And  God  Himself  to  man  revealing, 

Th'  harmonious  spheres 
Make  music,  though  unheard  their  pealing 

By  mortal  ears ! 

THOMAS  CAMPBELL. 


God!  sing  ye  meadow  streams  with  gladsome  voice! 

Ye  pine-groves,  with  your  soft  and  soul-like  sounds ! 

Ye  eagles,  playmates  of  the  mountain  storm ! 

Ye  lightnings,  the  dread  arrows  of  the  clouds ! 

Ye  signs  and  wonders  of  the  elements, 

Utter  forth  God,  and  fill  the  hills  with  praise !  .   .  . 

Earth,  with  her  thousand  voices,  praises  GOD ! 

COLERIDGE. 


vn 


FOREWORD 

"  WE  also  have  a  religion  which  was 
given  to  our  forefathers,  and  has  been 
handed  down  to  us  their  children. 
It  teaches  us  to  be  thankful,  to  be 
united,  and  to  love  one  another ! 
We  never  quarrel  about  religion." 

Thus  spoke  the  great  Seneca  ora 
tor,  Red  Jacket,  in  his  superb  reply 
to  Missionary  Cram  more  than  a 
century  ago,  and  I  have  often  heard 
the  same  thought  expressed  by  my 
countrymen. 

I  have  attempted  to  paint  the  re 
ligious  life  of  the  typical  American 
Indian  as  it  was  before  he  knew  the 

ix 


FOREWORD 

white  man.  I  have  long  wished  to 
do  this,  because  I  cannot  find  that  it 
has  ever  been  seriously,  adequately, 
and  sincerely  done.  The  religion  of 
the  Indian  is  the  last  thing  about 
him  that  the  man  of  another  race 
will  ever  understand. 

First,  the  Indian  does  not  speak 
of  these  deep  matters  so  long  as  he 
believes  in  them,  and  when  he  has 
ceased  to  believe  he  speaks  inaccu 
rately  and  slightingly. 

Second,  even  if  he  can  be  induced 
to  speak,  the  racial  and  religious 
prejudice  of  the  other  stands  in  the 
way  of  his  sympathetic  comprehen 
sion. 

Third,    practically    all    existing 


FOREWORD 

studies  on  this  subject  have  been 
made  during  the  transition  period, 
when  the  original  beliefs  and  phi 
losophy  of  the  native  American  were 
already  undergoing  rapid  disintegra 
tion. 

There  are  to  be  found  here  and 
there  superficial  accounts  of  strange 
customs  and  ceremonies,  of  which 
the  symbolism  or  inner  meaning  was 
largely  hidden  from  the  observer; 
and  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of 
material  collected  in  recent  years 
which  is  without  value  because  it 
is  modern  and  hybrid,  inextricably 
mixed  with  Biblical  legend  and  Cau 
casian  philosophy.  Some  of  it  has 
even  been  invented  for  commercial 

xi 


FOREWORD 

purposes.  Give  a  reservation  Indian 
a  present,  and  he  will  possibly  pro 
vide  you  with  sacred  songs,  a  my 
thology,  and  folk-lore  to  order ! 

My  little  book  does  not  pretend 
to  be  a  scientific  treatise.  It  is  as 
true  as  I  can  make  it  to  my  child 
hood  teaching  and  ancestral  ideals, 
but  from  the  human,  not  the  eth 
nological  standpoint.  I  have  not 
cared  to  pile  up  more  dry  bones, 
but  to  clothe  them  with  flesh  and 
blood.  So  much  as  has  been  writ 
ten  by  strangers  of  our  ancient  faith 
and  worship  treats  it  chiefly  as  mat 
ter  of  curiosity.  I  should  like  to 
emphasize  its  universal  quality,  its 
personal  appeal ! 


Xll 


FOREWORD 

The  first  missionaries,  good  men 
imbued  with  the  narrowness  of  their 
age,  branded  us  as  pagans  and  devil- 
worshipers,  and  demanded  of  us  that 
we  abjure  our  false  gods  before  bow 
ing  the  knee  at  their  sacred  altar. 
They  even  told  us  that  we  were  eter 
nally  lost,  unless  we  adopted  a  tangi 
ble  symbol  and  professed  a  particular 
form  of  their  hydra-headed  faith. 

We  of  the  twentieth  century 
know  better !  We  know  that  all  re 
ligious  aspiration,  all  sincere  wor 
ship,  can  have  but  one  source  and 
one  goal.  We  know  that  the  God 
of  the  lettered  and  the  unlettered, 
of  the  Greek  and  the  barbarian,  is 
after  all  the  same  God ;  and,  like 

xiii 


FOREWORD 

Peter,  we  perceive  that  He  is  no 
respecter  of  persons,  but  that  in  every 
nation  he  that  feareth  Him  and 
worketh  righteousness  is  acceptable 
to  Him. 

CHARLES  A.  EASTMAN  (OHIYESA) 


CONTENTS 

I.    THE  GREAT  MYSTERY  i 

II.    THE  FAMILY  ALTAR  25 

III.  CEREMONIAL  AND  SYMBOLIC  WOR 

SHIP  51 

IV.  BARBARISM  AND  THE  MORAL  CODE  85 
V.    THE  UNWRITTEN  SCRIPTURES        117 

VI,    ON  THE  BORDER-LAND  OF  SPIRITS  147 


THE     GREAT   MYSTERY 


1 


.RS 

. 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE 
INDIAN 

I 

THE   GREAT   MYSTERY 

Solitary  Worship.   The  Savage  Philosopher.   The 

Dual  Mind.  Spiritual  Gifts  versus  Material 

Progress.  The  Paradox  of  "  Christian 

Civilization. '  * 

THE  original  attitude  of  the  Amer 
ican  Indian  toward  the  Eternal,  the 
"  Great  Mystery "  that  surrounds 
and  embraces  us,  was  as  simple  as  it 
was  exalted.  To  him  it  was  the  su 
preme  conception,  bringing  with  it 
the  fullest  measure  of  joy  and  satis 
faction  possible  in  this  life. 
3 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  INDIAN 
The  worship  of  the  "  Great  Mys 
tery  "  was  silent,  solitary,  free  from 
all  self-seeking.  It  was  silent,  be 
cause  all  speech  is  of  necessity  fee 
ble  and  imperfect;  therefore  the 
souls  of  my  ancestors  ascended  to 
God  in  wordless  adoration.  It  was 
solitary,  because  they  believed  that 
He  is  nearer  to  us  in  solitude,  and 
there  were  no  priests  authorized  to 
come  between  a  man  and  his  Maker. 
None  might  exhort  or  confess  or  in 
any  way  meddle  with  the  religious 
experience  of  another.  Among  us 
all  men  were  created  sons  of  God 
and  stood  erect,  as  conscious  of  their 
divinity.  Our  faith  might  not  be  for 
mulated  in  creeds,  nor  forced  upon 
4 


THE    GREAT   MYSTERY 

any  who  were  unwilling  to  receive 
it ;  hence  there  was  no  preaching, 
proselyting,  nor  persecution,  neither 
were  there  any  scoffers  or  atheists. 
There  were  no  temples  or  shrines 
among  us  save  those  of  nature.  Being 
a  natural  man,  the  Indian  was  in 
tensely  poetical.  He  would  deem  it 
sacrilege  to  build  a  house  for  Him 
who  may  be  met  face  to  face  in  the 
mysterious,  shadowy  aisles  of  the  pri 
meval  forest,  or  on  the  sunlit  bosom 
of  virgin  prairies,  upon  dizzy  spires 
and  pinnacles  of  naked  rock,  and 
yonder  in  the  jeweled  vault  of  the 
night  sky!  He  who  enrobes  Him 
self  in  filmy  veils  of  cloud,  there  on 
the  rim  of  the  visible  world  where 
5 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

our  Great-Grandfather  Sun  kindles 
his  evening  camp-fire,  He  who  rides 
upon  the  rigorous  wind  of  the  north, 
or  breathes  forth  His  spirit  upon 
aromatic  southern  airs,  whose  war- 
canoe  is  launched  upon  majestic  riv 
ers  and  inland  seas  —  He  needs  no 
lesser  cathedral ! 

That  solitary  communion  with  the 
Unseen  which  was  the  highest  ex 
pression  of  our  religious  life  is  partly 
described  in  the  word  bambeday,  lit 
erally  "mysterious  feeling,"  which 
has  been  variously  translated  "  fast 
ing"  and  "dreaming."  It  may  better 
be  interpreted  as  "  consciousness  of 
the  divine." 

The  first  bambeday>  or  religious 
6 


THE   GREAT   MYSTERY 

retreat,  marked  an  epoch  in  the  life 
of  the  youth,  which  may  be  com 
pared  to  that  of  confirmation  or 
conversion  in  Christian  experience. 
Having  first  prepared  himself  by 
means  of  the  purifying  vapor-bath, 
and  cast  off  as  far  as  possible  all  hu 
man  or  fleshly  influences,  the  young 
man  sought  out  the  noblest  height, 
the  most  commanding  summit  in  all 
the  surrounding  region.  Knowing 
that  God  sets  no  value  upon  material 
things,  he  took  with  him  no  offerings 
or  sacrifices  other  than  symbolic 
objects,  such  as  paints  and  tobacco. 
Wishing  to  appear  before  Him  in  all 
humility,  he  wore  no  clothing  save 
his  moccasins  and  breech-clout.  At 
7 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  INDIAN 
the  solemn  hour  of  sunrise  or  sun 
set  he  took  up  his  position,  overlook 
ing  the  glories  of  earth  and  facing 
the  "Great  Mystery,"  and  there  he 
remained,  naked,  erect,  silent,  and 
motionless,  exposed  to  the  elements 
and  forces  of  His  arming,  for  a  night 
and  a  day  to  two  days  and  nights,  but 
rarely  longer.  Sometimes  he  would 
chant  a  hymn  without  words,  or  of 
fer  the  ceremonial  "filled  pipe."  In 
this  holy  trance  or  ecstasy  the  Indian 
mystic  found  his  highest  happiness 
and  the  motive  power  of  his  exist 
ence. 

When  he  returned  to  the  camp, 
he  must  remain  at  a  distance  until 
he  had  again  entered  the  vapor-bath 
8 


THE    GREAT   MYSTERY 

and  prepared  himself  for  intercourse 
with  his  fellows.  Of  the  vision  or 
sign  vouchsafed  to  him  he  did  not 
speak,  unless  it  had  included  some 
commission  which  must  be  publicly 
fulfilled.  Sometimes  an  old  man, 
standing  upon  the  brink  of  eternity, 
might  reveal  to  a  chosen  few  the 
oracle  of  his  long-past  youth. 

The  native  American  has  been 
generally  despised  by  his  white  con 
querors  for  his  poverty  and  simpli 
city.  They  forget,  perhaps,  that  his 
religion  forbade  the  accumulation  of 
wealth  and  the  enjoyment  of  luxury. 
To  him,  as  to  other  single-minded 
men  in  every  age  and  race,  from 
Diogenes  to  the  brothers  of  Saint 
9 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

Francis,  from  the  Montanists  to  the 
Shakers,  the  love  of  possessions  has 
appeared  a  snare,  and  the  burdens  of 
a  complex  society  a  source  of  need 
less  peril  and  temptation.  Further 
more,  it  was  the  rule  of  his  life  to 
share  the  fruits  of  his  skill  and  suc 
cess  with  his  less  fortunate  brothers. 
Thus  he  kept  his  spirit  free  from  the 
clog  of  pride,  cupidity,  or  envy,  and 
carried  out,  as  he  believed,  the  di 
vine  decree  —  a  matter  profoundly 
important  to  him. 

It  was  not,  then,  wholly  from  ig 
norance  or  improvidence  that  he 
failed  to  establish  permanent  towns 
and  to  develop  a  material  civiliza 
tion.  To  the  untutored  sage,  the 


10 


THE   GREAT   MYSTERY 

concentration  of  population  was  the 
prolific  mother  of  all  evils,  moral  no 
less  than  physical.  He  argued  that 
food  is  good,  while  surfeit  kills;  that 
love  is  good,  but  lust  destroys ;  and 
not  less  dreaded  than  the  pestilence 
following  upon  crowded  and  unsan 
itary  dwellings  was  the  loss  of  spirit 
ual  power  inseparable  from  too  close 
contact  with  one's  fellow-men.  All 
who  have  lived  much  out  of  doors 
know  that  there  is  a  magnetic  and 
nervous  force  that  accumulates  in 
solitude  and  that  is  quickly  dissi 
pated  by  life  in  a  crowd;  and  even 
his  enemies  have  recognized  the  fact 
that  for  a  certain  innate  power  and 
self-poise,  wholly  independent  of  cir- 


ii 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

cumstances,  the  American  Indian  is 
unsurpassed  among  men. 

The  red  man  divided  mind  into 
two  parts,  —  the  spiritual  mind  and 
the  physical  mind.  The  first  is  pure 
spirit,  concerned  only  with  the  es 
sence  of  things,  and  it  was  this  he 
sought  to  strengthen  by  spiritual 
prayer,  during  which  the  body  is 
subdued  by  fasting  and  hardship.  In 
this  type  of  prayer  there  was  no  be 
seeching  of  favor  or  help.  All  mat 
ters  of  personal  or  selfish  concern,  as 
success  in  hunting  or  warfare,  relief 
from  sickness,  or  the  sparing  of  a 
beloved  life,  were  definitely  rele 
gated  to  the  plane  of  the  lower  or 
material  mind,  and  all  ceremonies, 

12 


THE   GREAT   MYSTERY 

charms,  or  incantations  designed  to 
secure  a  benefit  or  to  avert  a  danger, 
were  recognized  as  emanating  from 
the  physical  self. 

The  rites  of  this  physical  worship, 
again,  were  wholly  symbolic,  and 
the  Indian  no  more  worshiped  the 
Sun  than  the  Christian  adores  the 
Cross.  The  Sun  and  the  Earth,  by 
an  obvious  parable,  holding  scarcely 
more  of  poetic  metaphor  than  of 
scientific  truth,  were  in  his  view  the 
parents  of  all  organic  life.  From  the 
Sun,  as  the  universal  father,  pro 
ceeds  the  quickening  principle  in 
nature,  and  in  the  patient  and  fruit 
ful  womb  of  our  mother,  the  Earth, 
are  hidden  embryos  of  plants  and 
13 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

/  men.  Therefore  our  reverence  and 
love  for  them  was  really  an  imagin 
ative  extension  of  our  love  for  our 
immediate  parents,  and  with  this 
sentiment  of  filial  piety  was  joined 

\  a  willingness  to  appeal  to  them,  as 
to  a  father,  for  such  good  gifts  as 
we  may  desire.  This  is  the  material 
or  physical  prayer. 

The  elements  and  majestic  forces 
in  nature,  Lightning,  Wind,  Water, 
Fire,  and  Frost,  were  regarded  with 
awe  as  spiritual  powers,  but  always 
secondary  and  intermediate  in  char 
acter.  We  believed  that  the  spirit 
pervades  all  creation  and  that  every 
creature  possesses  a  soul  in  some  de 
gree,  though  not  necessarily  a  soul 
'4 


THE   GREAT   MYSTERY 

conscious  of  itself.  The  tree,  the 
waterfall,  the  grizzly  bear,  each  is 
an  embodied  Force,  and  as  such  an 
object  of  reverence. 

The  Indian  loved  to  come  into 
sympathy  and  spiritual  communion 
with  his  brothers  of  the  animal  king 
dom,  whose  inarticulate  souls  had 
for  him  something  of  the  sinless 
purity  that  we  attribute  to  the  inno 
cent  and  irresponsible  child.  He  had 
faith  in  their  instincts,  as  in  a  mys 
terious  wisdom  given  from  above ; 
and  while  he  humbly  accepted  the 
supposedly  voluntary  sacrifice  of  their 
bodies  to  preserve  his  own,  he  paid 
homage  to  their  spirits  in  prescribed 
prayers  and  offerings. 
15 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

In  every  religion  there  is  an  ele 
ment  of  the  supernatural,  varying 
with  the  influence  of  pure  reason 
over  its  devotees.  The  Indian  was  a 
logical  and  clear  thinker  upon  mat 
ters  within  the  scope  of  his  under 
standing,  but  he  had  not  yet  charted 
the  vast  field  of  nature  or  expressed 
her  wonders  in  terms  of  science. 
With  his  limited  knowledge  of  cause 
and  effect,  he  saw  miracles  on  every 
hand, — the  miracle  of  life  in  seed 
and  egg,  the  miracle  of  death  in 
lightning  flash  and  in  the  swelling 
deep!  Nothing  of  the  marvelous 
could  astonish  him;  as  that  a  beast 
should  speak,  or  the  sun  stand  still. 
The  virgin  birth  would  appear 
16 


THE   GREAT   MYSTERY 

scarcely  more  miraculous  than  is  the 
birth  of  every  child  that  comes  into 
the  world,  or  the  miracle  of  the 
loaves  and  fishes  excite  more  won 
der  than  the  harvest  that  springs 
from  a  single  ear  of  corn. 

Who  may  condemn  his  supersti 
tion  ?  Surely  not  the  devout  Catho 
lic,  or  even  Protestant  missionary, 
who  teaches  Bible  miracles  as  lit 
eral  fact !  The  logical  man  must 
either  deny  all  miracles  or  none,  and 
our  American  Indian  myths  and  hero 
stories  are  perhaps,  in  themselves, 
quite  as  credible  as  those  of  the  He 
brews  of  old.  If  we  are  of  the  mod 
ern  type  of  mind,  that  sees  in  natu 
ral  law  a  majesty  and  grandeur  far 
17 


THE   SOUL   OF  THE    INDIAN 

more  impressive  than  any  solitary  in 
fraction  of  it  could  possibly  be,  let  us 
not  forget  that,  after  all,  science  has 
not  explained  everything.  We  have 
still  to  face  the  ultimate  miracle,  — 
the  origin  and  principle  of  life! 
Here  is  the  supreme  mystery  that 
is  the  essence  of  worship,  without 
which  there  can  be  no  religion,  and 
in  the  presence  of  this  mystery  our 
attitude  cannot  be  very  unlike  that  of 
the  natural  philosopher,  who  beholds 
with  awe  the  Divine  in  all  creation. 
It  is  simple  truth  that  the  In 
dian  did  not,  so  long  as  his  native 
philosophy  held  sway  over  his  mind, 
either  envy  or  desire  to  imitate  the 
splendid  achievements  of  the  white 
18 


THE    GREAT   MYSTERY 

man.  In  his  own  thought  he  rose 
superior  to  them  !  He  scorned  them, 
even  as  a  lofty  spirit  absorbed  in  its 
stern  task  rejects  the  soft  beds,  the 
luxurious  food,  the  pleasure-wor 
shiping  dalliance  of  a  rich  neigh 
bor.  It  was  clear  to  him  that  virtue 
and  happiness  are  independent  of 
these  things,  if  not  incompatible 
with  them. 

There  was  undoubtedly  much  in 
primitive  Christianity  to  appeal  to 
this  man,  and  Jesus'  hard  sayings  to 
the  rich  and  about  the  rich  would 
have  been  entirely  comprehensible 
to  him.  Yet  the  religion  that  is 
preached  in  our  churches  and  prac 
ticed  by  our  congregations,  with  its 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

element  of  display  and  self-aggran 
dizement,  its  active  proselytism,  and 
its  open  contempt  of  all  religions 
but  its  own,  was  for  a  long  time 
extremely  repellent.  To  his  simple 
mind,  the  professionalism  of  the  pul 
pit,  the  paid  exhorter,  the  moneyed 
church,  was  an  unspiritual  and  uned- 
ifying  thing,  and  it  was  not  until  his 
spirit  was  broken  and  his  moral  and 
physical  constitution  undermined 
by  trade,  conquest,  and  strong  drink, 
that  Christian  missionaries  obtained 
any  real  hold  upon  him.  Strange  as 
it  may  seem,  it  is  true  that  the  proud 
pagan  in  his  secret  soul  despised  the 
good  men  who  came  to  convert  and 
to  enlighten  him! 


20 


THE    GREAT   MYSTERY 

Nor  were  its  publicity  and  its 
Phariseeism  the  only  elements  in  the 
alien  religion  that  offended  the  red 
man.  To  him,  it  appeared  shock 
ing  and  almost  incredible  that  there 
were  among  this  people  who  claimed 
superiority  many  irreligious,  who  did 
not  even  pretend  to  profess  the  na 
tional  faith.  Not  only  did  they  not 
profess  it,  but  they  stooped  so  low 
as  to  insult  their  God  with  profane 
and  sacrilegious  speech  !  In  our  own 
tongue  His  name  was  not  spoken 
aloud,  even  with  utmost  reverence, 
much  less  lightly  or  irreverently. 

More  than  this,  even  in  those 
white  men  who  professed  religion  we 
found  much  inconsistency  of  con- 

21 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE  INDIAN 

duct.  They  spoke  much  of  spiritual 
things,  while  seeking  only  the  ma 
terial.  They  bought  and  sold  every 
thing:  time,  labor,  personal  inde 
pendence,  the  love  of  woman,  and 
even  the  ministrations  of  their  holy 
faith !  The  lust  for  money,  power, 
and  conquest  so  characteristic  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race  did  not  escape 
moral  condemnation  at  the  hands  of 
his  untutored  judge,  nor  did  he  fail 
to  contrast  this  conspicuous  trait  of 
the  dominant  race  with  the  spirit 
of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus. 

He  might  in  time  come  to  recog 
nize  that  the  drunkards  and  licen 
tious  among  white  men,  with  whom 
he  too  frequently  came  in  contact, 


22 


THE   GREAT   MYSTERY 

were  condemned  by  the  white  man's 
religion  as  well,  and  must  not  be 
held  to  discredit  it.  But  it  was  not 
so  easy  to  overlook  or  to  excuse  na 
tional  bad  faith.  When  distinguished 
emissaries  from  the  Father  at  Wash 
ington,  some  of  them  ministers  of 
the  gospel  and  even  bishops,  came  to 
the  Indian  nations,  and  pledged  to 
them  in  solemn  treaty  the  national 
honor,  with  prayer  and  mention  of 
their  God;  and  when  such  treaties, 
so  made,  were  promptly  and  shame 
lessly  broken,  is  it  strange  that  the 
action  should  arouse  not  only  anger, 
but  contempt?  The  historians  of  the 
white  race  admit  that  the  Indian  was 
never  the  first  to  repudiate  his  oath. 
23 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

It  is  my  personal  belief,  after 
thirty-five  years'  experience  of  it, 
that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  "  Chris 
tian  civilization/'  I  believe  that 
Christianity  and  modern  civiliza 
tion  are  opposed  and  irreconcilable, 
and  that  the  spirit  of  Christianity 
and  of  our  ancient  religion  is  essen 
tially  the  same. 


II 

THE   FAMILY   ALTAR 


II 

THE   FAMILY  ALTAR 

Pre-natal  Influence.   Early  Religious  Teaching. 
The  Function  of  the  Aged.  Woman,  Mar 
riage  and  the  Family.   Loyalty, 
Hospitality,  Friendship. 

THE  American  Indian  was  an  indi 
vidualist  in  religion  as  in  war.  He  had 
neither  a  national  army  nor  an  organ 
ized  church.  There  was  no  priest  to 
assume  responsibility  for  another's 
soul.  That  is,  we  believed,  the  su 
preme  duty  of  the  parent,  who  only 
was  permitted  to  claim  in  some  de 
gree  the  priestly  office  and  function, 
since  it  is  his  creative  and  protecting 
27 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

power  which  alone  approaches  the 
solemn  function  of  Deity. 

The  Indian  was  a  religious  man 
from  his  mother's  womb.  From  the 
moment  of  her  recognition  of  the 
fact  of  conception  to  the  end  of 
the  second  year  of  life,  which  was 
the  ordinary  duration  of  lactation,  it 
was  supposed  by  us  that  the  mother's 
spiritual  influence  counted  for  most. 
Her  attitude  and  secret  meditations 
must  be  such  as  to  instill  into  the  re 
ceptive  soul  of  the  unborn  child  the 
love  of  the  "Great  Mystery"  and  a 
sense  of  brotherhood  with  all  crea 
tion.  Silence  and  isolation  are  the 
rule  of  life  for  the  expectant  mother. 
She  wanders  prayerful  in  the  stillness 
28 


THE   FAMILY    ALTAR 

of  great  woods,  or  on  the  bosom  of 
the  untrodden  prairie,  and  to  her 
poetic  mind  the  immanent  birth  of 
her  child  prefigures  the  advent  of  a 
master-man  —  a  hero,  or  the  mother 
of  heroes  —  a  thought  conceived  in 
the  virgin  breast  of  primeval  nature, 
and  dreamed  out  in  a  hush  that  is 
only  broken  by  the  sighing  of  the 
pine  tree  or  the  thrilling  orchestra 
of  a  distant  waterfall. 

And  when  the  day  of  days  in  her 
life  dawns  —  the  day  in  which  there 
is  to  be  a  new  life,  the  miracle  of 
whose  making  has  been  intrusted  to 
her,  she  seeks  no  human  aid.  She 
has  been  trained  and  prepared  in 
body  and  mind  for  this  her  holiest 
29 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  INDIAN 
duty,  ever  since  she  can  remember. 
The  ordeal  is  best  met  alone,  where 
no  curious  or  pitying  eyes  embarrass 
her;  where  all  nature  says  to  her 
spirit:  "'T  is  love!  'tis  love!  the  ful 
filling  of  life !  "  When  a  sacred  voice 
comes  to  her  out  of  the  silence,  and 
a  pair  of  eyes  open  upon  her  in  the 
wilderness,  she  knows  with  joy  that 
she  has  borne  well  her  part  in  the 
great  song  of  creation  ! 

Presently  she  returns  to  the  camp, 
carrying  the  mysterious,  the  holy, 
the  dearest  bundle !  She  feels  the  en 
dearing  warmth  of  it  and  hears  its 
soft  breathing.  It  is  still  a  part  of 
herself,  since  both  are  nourished  by 
the  same  mouthful,  and  no  look  of  a 
30 


THE   FAMILY   ALTAR 

lover  could  be  sweeter  than  its^deep, 
trusting  gaze. 

She  continues  her  spiritual  teach 
ing,  at  first  silently  —  a  mere  point 
ing  of  the  index  finger  to  nature ; 
then  in  whispered  songs,  bird-like, 
at  morning  and  evening.  To  her 
and  to  the  child  the  birds  are  real 
people,  who  live  very  close  to  the 
"Great  Mystery";  the  murmuring 
trees  breathe  His  presence ;  the  fall 
ing  waters  chant  His  praise. 

If  the  child  should  chance  to  be 
fretful,  the  mother  raises  her  hand. 
"  Hush  !  hush ! "  she  cautions  it 
tenderly,  "the  spirits  may  be  dis 
turbed  ! "  She  bids  it  be  still  and  lis 
ten  —  listen  to  the  silver  voice  of  the 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

aspen,  or  the  clashing  cymbals  of 
the  birch ;  and  at  night  she  points  to 
the  heavenly,  blazed  trail,  through 
nature's  galaxy  of  splendor  to  na 
ture's  God.  Silence,  love,  reverence, 
—  this  is  the  trinity  of  first  lessons ; 
and  to  these  she  later  adds  gener 
osity,  courage,  and  chastity. 

In  the  old  days,  our  mothers  were 
single-eyed  to  the  trust  imposed 
upon  them;  and  as  a  noted  chief  of 
our  people  was  wont  to  say :  "  Men 
may  slay  one  another,  but  they  can 
never  overcome  the  woman,  for  in 
the  quietude  of  her  lap  lies  the 
child!  You  may  destroy  him  once 
and  again,  but  he  issues  as  often  from 
that  same  gentle  lap  —  a  gift  of  the 
32 


THE    FAMILY   ALTAR 

Great  Good  to  the  race,  in  which 
man  is  only  an  accomplice! " 

This  wild  mother  has  not  only  the 
experience  of  her  mother  and  grand 
mother,  and  the  accepted  rules  of 
her  people  for  a  guide,  but  she  hum 
bly  seeks  to  learn  a  lesson  from  ants, 
bees,  spiders,  beavers,  and  badgers. 
She  studies  the  family  life  of  the 
birds,  so  exquisite  in  its  emotional 
intensity  and  its  patient  devotion, 
until  she  seems  to  feel  the  universal 
mother-heart  beating  in  her  own 
breast.  In  due  time  the  child  takes 
of  his  own  accord  the  attitude  of 
prayer,  and  speaks  reverently  of  the 
Powers.  He  thinks  that  he  is  a  blood 
brother  to  all  living  creatures,  and 
33 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

the  storm  wind  is  to  him  a  messen 
ger  of  the  "Great  Mystery." 

At  the  age  of  about  eight  years,  if 
he  is  a  boy,  she  turns  him  over  to 
his  father  for  more  Spartan  training. 
If  a  girl,  she  is  from  this  time  much 
under  the  guardianship  of  her  grand 
mother,  who  is  considered  the  most 
dignified  protector  for  the  maiden. 
Indeed,  the  distinctive  work  of  both 
grandparents  is  that  of  acquainting 
the  youth  with  the  national  tradi 
tions  and  beliefs.  It  is  reserved  for 
them  to  repeat  the  time-hallowed 
tales  with  dignity  and  authority,  so 
as  to  lead  him  into  his  inheritance 
in  the  stored-up  wisdom  and  expe 
rience  of  the  race.  The  old  are  ded- 
34 


THE   FAMILY   ALTAR 

icated  to  the  service  of  the  young, 
as  their  teachers  and  advisers,  and  the 
young  in  turn  regard  them  with 
love  and  reverence. 

Our  old  age  was  in  some  respects 
the  happiest  period  of  life.  Advanc 
ing  years  brought  with  them  much 
freedom,  not  only  from  the  burden 
of  laborious  and  dangerous  tasks,  but 
from  those  restrictions  of  custom  and 
etiquette  which  were  religiously  ob 
served  by  all  others.  No  one  who  is 
at  all  acquainted  with  the  Indian  in 
his  home  can  deny  that  we  are  a  polite 
people.  As  a  rule,  the  warrior  who 
inspired  the  greatest  terror  in  the 
hearts  of  his  enemies  was  a  man  of 
the  most  exemplary  gentleness,  and 
35 


THE  SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

almost  feminine  refinement,  among 
his  family  and  friends.  A  soft,  low 
voice  was  considered  an  excellent 
thing  in  man,  as  well  as  in  woman ! 
Indeed,  the  enforced  intimacy  of 
tent  life  would  soon  become  intol 
erable,  were  it  not  for  these  instinc 
tive  reserves  and  delicacies,  this  un 
failing  respect  for  the  established 
place  and  possessions  of  every  other 
member  of  the  family  circle,  this 
habitual  quiet,  order,  and  decorum. 
Our  people,  though  capable  of 
strong  and  durable  feeling,  were  not 
demonstrative  in  their  affection  at 
any  time,  least  of  all  in  the  presence 
of  guests  or  strangers.  Only  to  the 
aged,  who  have  journeyed  far,  and 

36 


THE   FAMILY   ALTAR 

are  in  a  manner  exempt  from  ordi 
nary  rules,  are  permitted  some  play 
ful  familiarities  with  children  and 
grandchildren,  some  plain  speaking, 
even  to  harshness  and  objurgation, 
from  which  the  others  must  rigidly 
refrain.  In  short,  the  old  men  and 
women  are  privileged  to  say  what 
they  please  and  how  they  please, 
without  contradiction,  while  the 
hardships  and  bodily  infirmities  that 
of  necessity  fall  to  their  lot  are  soft 
ened  so  far  as  may  be  by  universal 
consideration  and  attention. 

There  was  no  religious  ceremony 
connected  with  marriage  among  us, 
while  on  the  other  hand  the  rela 
tion  between  man  and  woman  was 
37 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

regarded  as  in  itself  mysterious  and 
holy.  It  appears  that  where  mar 
riage  is  solemnized  by  the  church 
and  blessed  by  the  priest,  it  may  at 
the  same  time  be  surrounded  with 
customs  and  ideas  of  a  frivolous,  su 
perficial,  and  even  prurient  charac 
ter.  We  believed  that  two  who  love 
should  be  united  in  secret,  before 
the  public  acknowledgment  of  their 
union,  and  should  taste  their  apo 
theosis  alone  with  nature.  The  be 
trothal  might  or  might  not  be  dis 
cussed  and  approved  by  the  parents, 
but  in  either  case  it  was  customary 
for  the  young  pair  to  disappear  into 
the  wilderness,  there  to  pass  some 
days  or  weeks  in  perfect  seclusion 

38 


THE    FAMILY   ALTAR 

and  dual  solitude,  afterward  return 
ing  to  the  village  as  man  and  wife. 
An  exchange  of  presents  and  enter 
tainments  between  the  two  families 
usually  followed,  but  the  nuptial 
blessing  was  given  by  the  High 
Priest  of  God,  the  most  reverend  and 
holy  Nature. 

The  family  was  not  only  the  so 
cial  unit,  but  also  the  unit  of  gov 
ernment.  The  clan  is  nothing  more 
than  a  larger  family,  with  its  patri 
archal  chief  as  the  natural  head,  and 
the  union  of  several  clans  by  inter 
marriage  and  voluntary  connection 
constitutes  the  tribe.  The  very  name 
of  our  tribe,  Dakota,  means  Allied 
People.  The  remoter  degrees  of  kin- 
39 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

ship  were  fully  recognized,  and  that 
not  as  a  matter  of  form  only:  first 
cousins  were  known  as  brothers  and 
sisters;  the  name  of  "cousin "  con 
stituted  a  binding  claim,  and  our 
rigid  morality  forbade  marriage  be 
tween  cousins  in  any  known  degree, 
or  in  other  words  within  the  clan. 
The  household  proper  consisted 
of  a  man  with  one  or  more  wives 
and  their  children,  all  of  whom 
dwelt  amicably  together,  often  under 
one  roof,  although  some  men  of 
rank  and  position  provided  a  sepa 
rate  lodge  for  each  wife.  There  were, 
indeed,  few  plural  marriages  except 
among  the  older  and  leading  men, 
and  plural  wives  were  usually,  though 
40 


THE   FAMILY   ALTAR 

not  necessarily,  sisters.  A  marriage 
might  honorably  be  dissolved  for 
cause,  but  there  was  very  little  infi 
delity  or  immorality,  either  open  or 
secret. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  position 
of  woman  is  the  test  of  civilization, 
and  that  of  our  women  was  secure. 
In  them  was  vested  our  standard  of 
morals  and  the  purity  of  our  blood. 
The  wife  did  not  take  the  name  of 
her  husband  nor  enter  his  clan,  and 
the  children  belonged  to  the  clan  of 
the  mother.  All  of  the  family  pro 
perty  was  held  by  her,  descent  was 
traced  in  the  maternal  line,  and  the 
honor  of  the  house  was  in  her  hands. 
Modesty  was  her  chiei'  adornment ; 
41 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

hence  the  younger  women  were  usu 
ally  silent  and  retiring:  but  a  wo 
man  who  had  attained  to  ripeness 
of  years  and  wisdom,  or  who  had 
displayed  notable  courage  in  some 
emergency,  was  sometimes  invited 
to  a  seat  in  the  council. 

Thus  she  ruled  undisputed  within 
her  own  domain,  and  was  to  us  a 
tower  of  moral  and  spiritual  strength, 
until  the  coming  of  the  border  white 
man,  the  soldier  and  trader,  who 
with  strong  drink  overthrew  the 
honor  of  the  man,  and  through  his 
power  over  a  worthless  husband  pur 
chased  the  virtue  of  his  wife  or  his 
daughter.  When  she  fell,  the  whole 
race  fell  with  her. 
42 


THE    FAMILY    ALTAR 

Before  this  calamity  came  upon 
us,  you  could  not  find  anywhere  a 
happier  home  than  that  created  by 
the  Indian  woman.  There  was  no 
thing  of  the  artificial  about  her  per 
son,  and  very  little  disingenuousness 
in  her  character.  Her  early  and  con 
sistent  training,  the  definiteness  of 
her  vocation,  and,  above  all,  her  pro 
foundly  religious  attitude  gave  her  a 
strength  and  poise  that  could  not  be 
overcome  by  any  ordinary  misfortune. 

Indian  names  were  either  charac 
teristic  nicknames  given  in  a  play 
ful  spirit,  deed  names,  birth  names, 
or  such  as  have  a  religious  and  sym 
bolic  meaning.  It  has  been  said  that 
when  a  child  is  born,  some  accident 
43 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

or  unusual  appearance  determines 
his  name.  This  is  sometimes  the 
case,  but  is  not  the  rule.  A  man  of 
forcible  character,  with  a  fine  war 
record,  usually  bears  the  name  of  the 
buffalo  or  bear,  lightning  or  some 
dread  natural  force.  Another  of  more 
peaceful  nature  may  be  called  Swift 
Bird  or  Blue  Sky.  A  woman's  name 
usually  suggested  something  about 
the  home,  often  with  the  adjective 
"pretty  "  or  "good,"  and  a  feminine 
termination.  Names  of  any  dignity 
or  importance  must  be  conferred 
by  the  old  men,  and  especially  so  if 
they  have  any  spiritual  significance ; 
as  Sacred  Cloud,  Mysterious  Night, 
Spirit  Woman,  and  the  like.  Such  a 
44 


THE   FAMILY   ALTAR 
i 

name  was  sometimes  borne  by  three 
generations,  but  each  individual  must 
prove  that  he  is  worthy  of  it. 

In  the  life  of  the  Indian  there  was 
only  one  inevitable  duty,  — the  duty 
of  prayer — the  daily  recognition  of 
the  Unseen  and  Eternal.  His  daily 
devotions  were  more  necessary  to 
him  than  daily  food.  He  wakes  at 
daybreak,  puts  on  his  moccasins  and 
steps  down  to  the  water's  edge.  Here 
he* throws  handfuls  of  clear,  cold 
water  into  his  face,  or  plunges  in 
bodily.  After  the  bath,  he  stands 
erect  before  the  advancing  dawn, 
facing  the  sun  as  it  dances  upon  the 
horizon,  and  offers  his  unspoken 
orison.  His  mate  may  precede  or 
45 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

follow  him  in  his  devotions,  but 
never  accompanies  him.  Each  soul 
must  meet  the  morning  sun,  the 
new,  sweet  earth,  and  the  Great 
Silence  alone ! 

Whenever,  in  the  course  of  the 
daily  hunt,  the  red  hunter  comes 
upon  a  scene  that  is  strikingly  beau 
tiful  or  sublime — a  black  thunder 
cloud  with  the  rainbow's  glowing 
arch  above  the  mountain;  a  white 
waterfall  in  the  heart  of  a  green 
gorge ;  a  vast  prairie  tinged  with  the 
blood-red  of  sunset — he  pauses  for 
an  instant  in  the  attitude  of  worship. 
He  sees  no  need  for  setting  apart  one 
day  in  seven  as  a  holy  day,  since  to 

him  all  days  are  God's. 
46 


THE   FAMILY   ALTAR 

Every  act  of  his  life  is,  in  a  very 
real  sense,  a  religious  act.  He  recog 
nizes  the  spirit  in  all  creation,  and 
believes  that  he  draws  from  it  spir 
itual  power.  His  respect  for  the  im 
mortal  part  of  the  animal,  his  bro 
ther,  often  leads  him  so  far  as  to  lay 
out  the  body  of  his  game  in  state  and 
decorate  the  head  with  symbolic 
paint  or  feathers.  Then  he  stands 
before  it  in  the  prayer  attitude,  hold 
ing  up  the  filled  pipe,  in  token  that 
he  has  freed  with  honor  the  spirit 
of  his  brother,  whose  body  his  need 
compelled  him  to  take  to  sustain 
his  own  life. 

When  food  is  taken,  the  woman 
murmurs  a  "  grace "  as  she  lowers 
47 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

the  kettle;  an  act  so  softly  and  un 
obtrusively  performed  that  one  who 
does  not  know  the  custom  usually 
fails  to  catch  the  whisper:  "Spirit, 
partake!"  As  her  husband  receives 
the  bowl  or  plate,  he  likewise  mur 
murs  his  invocation  to  the  spirit. 
When  he  becomes  an  old  man,  he 
loves  to  make  a  notable  effort  to 
prove  his  gratitude.  He  cuts  off  the 
choicest  morsel  of  the  meat  and 
casts  it  into  the  fire — the  purest  and 
most  ethereal  element. 

The  hospitality  of  the  wigwam 
is  only  limited  by  the  institution  of 
war.  Yet,  if  an  enemy  should  honor 
us  with  a  call,  his  trust  will  not  be 
misplaced,  and  he  will  go  away  con- 
48 


THE   FAMILY   ALTAR 

vinced  that  he  has  met  with  a  royal 
host!  Our  honor  is  the  guarantee  for 
his  safety,  so  long  as  he  is  within  the 
camp. 

Friendship  is  held  to  be  the  se 
verest  test  of  character.  It  is  easy, 
we  think,  to  be  loyal  to  family  and 
clan,  whose  blood  is  in  our  own 
veins.  Love  between  man  and  wo 
man  is  founded  on  the  mating  in 
stinct  and  is  not  free  from  desire  and 
self-seeking.  But  to  have  a  friend, 
and  to  be  true  under  any  and  all 
trials,  is  the  mark  of  a  man ! 

The  highest  type  of  friendship  is 

the  relation  of  "brother-friend  "or 

"  life-and-death  friend."  This  bond 

is  between  man  and  man,  is  usually 

49 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

formed  in  early  youth,  and  can  only 
be  broken  by  death.  It  is  the  essence 
of  comradeship  and  fraternal  love, 
without  thought  of  pleasure  or 
gain,  but  rather  for  moral  support 
and  inspiration.  Each  is  vowed  to 
die  for  the  other,  if  need  be,  and  no 
thing  is  denied  the  brother-friend, 
but  neither  is  anything  required 
that  is  not  in  accord  with  the  high 
est  conceptions  of  the  Indian  mind. 


Ill 

CEREMONIAL   AND    SYM 
BOLIC   WORSHIP 


Ill 

-  CEREMONIAL   AND   SYMBOLIC 
WORSHIP 

Modern  Perversions  of  Early  Religious  Rites.    The 
Sun  Dance.   The  Great  Medicine  Lodge. 
Totems  and  Charms.    The  Vapor- 
Bath  and  the  Ceremonial  of 
the  Pipe. 

THE  public  religious  rites  of  the 
Plains  Indians  are  few,  and  in  large 
part  of  modern  origin,  belonging 
properly  to  the  so-called  "  transition 
period."  That  period  must  be  held 
to  begin  with  the  first  insidious  ef 
fect  upon  their  manners  and  customs 
of  contact  with  the  dominant  race, 
and  many  of  the  tribes  were  so  in- 
53 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

fluenced  long  before  they  ceased  to 
lead  the  nomadic  life. 

The  fur-traders,  the  "  Black  Robe" 
priests,  the  military,  and  finally  the 
Protestant  missionaries,  were  the 
men  who  began  the  disintegration  of 
the  Indian  nations  and  the  overthrow 
of  their  religion,  seventy-five  to  a 
hundred  years  before  they  were  forced 
to  enter  upon  reservation  life.  We 
have  no  authentic  study  of  them  until 
well  along  in  the  transition  period, 
when  whiskey  and  trade  had  already 
debauched  their  native  ideals. 

During  the  era  of  reconstruction 
they  modified  their  customs  and  be 
liefs  continually,  creating  a  singular 
admixture  of  Christian  with  pagan 
54 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

superstitions,  and  an  addition  to  the 
old  folk-lore  of  disguised  Bible  sto 
ries  under  an  Indian  aspect.  Even 
their  music  shows  the  influence  of  the 
Catholic  chants.  Most  of  the  mate 
rial  collected  by  modern  observers  is 
necessarily  of  this  promiscuous  char 
acter. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  first  ef 
fect  of  contact  with  the  whites  was 
an  increase  of  cruelty  and  barbarity, 
an  intensifying  of  the  dark  shadows 
in  the  picture!  In  this  manner 
the  "Sun  Dance"  of  the  Plains  In 
dians,  the  most  important  of  their 
public  ceremonials,  was  abused  and 
perverted  until  it  became  a  horri 
ble  exhibition  of  barbarism,  and  was 
55 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

eventually  prohibited  by  the  Gov 
ernment. 

In  the  old  days,  when  a  Sioux  war 
rior  found  himself  in  the  very  jaws  of 
destruction,  he  might  offer  a  prayer 
to  his  father,  the  Sun,  to  prolong  his 
life.  If  rescued  from  imminent  dan 
ger,  he  must  acknowledge  the  divine 
favor  by  making  a  Sun  Dance,  ac 
cording  to  the  vow  embraced  in  his 
prayer,  in  which  he  declared  that 
he  did  not  fear  torture  or  death,  but 
asked  life  only  for  the  sake  of  those 
who  loved  him.  Thus  the  physical 
ordeal  was  the  fulfillment  of  a  vow, 
and  a  sort  of  atonement  for  what 
might  otherwise  appear  to  be  repre 
hensible  weakness  in  the  face  of 
56 


a       ^rTHE       1\ 

I    UNIVERSITY  )) 


OF 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

death.  It  was  in  the  nature  of  con 
fession  and  thank-offering  to  the 
"Great  Mystery,"  through  the  phy 
sical  parent,  the  Sun,  and  did  not 
embrace  a  prayer  for  future  favors. 

The  ceremonies  usually  took  place 
from  six  months  to  a  year  after  the 
making  of  the  vow,  in  order  to  admit 
of  suitable  preparation ;  always  in 
midsummer,  and  before  a  large  and 
imposing  gathering.  They  naturally 
included  the  making  of  a  feast,  and 
the  giving  away  of  much  savage 
wealth  in  honor  of  the  occasion, 
although  these  were  no  essential 
part  of  the  religious  rite. 

When  the  day  came  to  procure 
the  pole,  it  was  brought  in  by  a 
57 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

party  of  warriors,  headed  by  some 
man  of  distinction.  The  tree  se 
lected  was  six  to  eight  inches  in 
diameter  at  the  base,  and  twenty  to 
twenty-five  feet  high.  It  was  chosen 
and  felled  with  some  solemnity,  in 
cluding  the  ceremony  of  the  "filled 
pipe/'  and  was  carried  in  the  fash 
ion  of  a  litter,  symbolizing  the  body 
of  the  man  who  made  the  dance.  A 
solitary  teepee  was  pitched  on  a  level 
spot  at  some  distance  from  the  vil 
lage,  and  the  pole  raised  near  at  hand 
with  the  same  ceremony,  in  the  cen 
tre  of  a  circular  inclosure  of  fresh- 
cut  boughs. 

Meanwhile,  one  of  the  most  noted 
of  our  old  men  had  carved  out  of  raw- 

58 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

hide,  or  later  of  wood,  two  figures, 
usually  those  of  a  man  and  a  buffalo. 
Sometimes  the  figure  of  a  bird,  sup 
posed  to  represent  the  Thunder,  was 
substituted  for  the  buffalo.  It  was 
customary  to  paint  the  man  red  and 
the  animal  black,  and  each  was  sus 
pended  from  one  end  of  the  cross 
bar  which  was  securely  tied  some  two 
feet  from  the  top  of  the  pole.  I  have 
never  been  able  to  determine  that 
this  cross  had  any  significance ;  it  was 
probably  nothing  more  than  a  dra 
matic  coincidence  that  surmounted 
the  Sun-Dance  pole  with  the  symbol 
of  Christianity. 

The  paint  indicated  that  the  man 
who  was  about  to  give  thanks  pub- 
59 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

licly  had  been  potentially  dead,  but 
was  allowed  to  live  by  the  mysteri 
ous  favor  and  interference  of  the 
Giver  of  Life.  The  buffalo  hung 
opposite  the  image  of  his  own  body 
in  death,  because  it  was  the  support 
of  his  physical  self,  and  a  leading 
figure  in  legendary  lore.  Following 
the  same  line  of  thought,  when  he 
emerged  from  the  solitary  lodge  of 
preparation,  and  approached  the  pole 
to  dance,  nude  save  for  his  breech- 
clout  and  moccasins,  his  hair  loos 
ened  and  daubed  with  clay,  he  must 
drag  after  him  a  buffalo  skull,  repre 
senting  the  grave  from  which  he 
had  escaped. 

The  dancer  was  cut  or  scarified 
60 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

on  the  chest,  sufficient  to  draw  blood 
and  cause  pain,  the  natural  accom 
paniments  of  his  figurative  death. 
He  took  his  position  opposite  the 
singers,  facing  the  pole,  and  drag 
ging  the  skull  by  leather  thongs 
which  were  merely  fastened  about 
his  shoulders.  During  a  later  period, 
incisions  were  made  in  the  breast 
or  back,  sometimes  both,  through 
which  wooden  skewers  were  drawn, 
and  secured  by  lariats  to  the  pole  or  to 
the  skulls.  Thus  he  danced  without 
intermission  for  a  day  and  a  night, 
or  even  longer,  ever  gazing  at  the  sun 
in  the  daytime,  and  blowing  from 
time  to  time  a  sacred  whistle  made 
from  the  bone  of  a  goose's  wing. 
61 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

In  recent  times,  this  rite  was  ex 
aggerated  and  distorted  into  a  mere 
ghastly  display  of  physical  strength 
and  endurance  under  torture,  almost 
on  a  level  with  the  Caucasian  insti 
tution  of  the  bull-fight,  or  the  yet 
more  modern  prize-ring.  Moreover, 
instead  of  an  atonement  or  thank- 
offering,  it  became  the  accompa 
niment  of  a  prayer  for  success  in 
war,  or  in  a  raid  upon  the  horses  of 
the  enemy.  The  number  of  dancers 
was  increased,  and  they  were  made 
to  hang  suspended  from  the  pole  by 
their  own  flesh,  which  they  must 
break  loose  before  being  released.  I 
well  remember  the  comments  in 
our  own  home  upon  the  passing  of 
62 


CEREMONIAL    WORSHIP 

this  simple  but  impressive  cere 
mony,  and  its  loss  of  all  meaning 
and  propriety  under  the  demoral 
izing  additions  which  were  some  of 
the  fruits  of  early  contact  with  the 
white  man. 

Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  or 
ganization  ever  known  among  Amer 
ican  Indians,  that  of  the  "Grand 
Medicine  Lodge,"  was  apparently 
an  indirect  result  of  the  labors  of  the 
early  Jesuit  missionaries.  In  it  Cau 
casian  ideas  are  easily  recognizable, 
and  it  seems  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  its  founders  desired  to  establish 
an  order  that  would  successfully  re 
sist  the  encroachments  of  the  "Black 
Robes."  However  that  may  be,  it  is 
63 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

an  unquestionable  fact  that  the  only 
religious  leaders  of  any  note  who 
have  arisen  among  the  native  tribes 
since  the  advent  of  the  white  man, 
the  "Shawnee  Prophet"  in  1762, 
and  the  half-breed  prophet  of  the 
"Ghost  Dance"  in  1890,  both 
founded  their  claims  or  prophecies 
upon  the  Gospel  story.  Thus  in 
each  case  an  Indian  religious  re 
vival  or  craze,  though  more  or  less 
threatening  to  the  invader,  was  of 
distinctively  alien  origin. 

The  Medicine  Lodge  originated 
among  the  Algonquin  tribe,  and 
extended  gradually  throughout  its 
branches,  finally  affecting  the  Sioux 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  form- 
64 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

ing  a  strong  bulwark  against  the 
work  of  the  pioneer  missionaries, 
who  secured,  indeed,  scarcely  any 
converts  until  after  the  outbreak  of 
1862,  when  subjection,  starvation, 
and  imprisonment  turned  our  bro 
ken-hearted  people  to  accept  Chris 
tianity,  which  seemed  to  offer  them 
the  only  gleam  of  kindness  or  hope. 
The  order  was  a  secret  one,  and 
in  some  respects  not  unlike  the 
Free  Masons,  being  a  union  or  affil 
iation  of  a  number  of  lodges,  each 
with  its  distinctive  songs  and  medi 
cines.  Leadership  was  in  order  of 
seniority  in  degrees,  which  could 
only  be  obtained  by  merit,  and  wo 
men  were  admitted  to  membership 
65 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE    INDIAN 

upon  equal  terms,  with  the  possi 
bility  of  attaining  to  the  highest 
honors.  No  person  might  become 
a  member  unless  his  moral  stand 
ing  was  excellent,  all  candidates  re 
mained  on  probation  for  one  or  two 
years,  and  murderers  and  adulterers 
were  expelled.  The  commandments 
promulgated  by  this  order  were  es 
sentially  the  same  as  the  Mosaic 
Ten,  so  that  it  exerted  a  distinct 
moral  influence,  in  addition  to  its 
ostensible  object,  which  was  instruc 
tion  in  the  secrets  of  legitimate  med 
icine. 

In  this  society  the  uses  of  all  cur 
ative  roots  and  herbs  known  to  us 
were  taught  exhaustively  and  prac- 
66 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

ticed  mainly  by  the  old,  the  younger 
members  being  in  training  to  fill  the 
places  of  those  who  passed  away. 
My  grandmother  was  a  well-known 
and  successful  practitioner,  and  both 
my  mother  and  father  were  mem 
bers,  but  did  not  practice. 

A  medicine  or  "mystery  feast" 
was  not  a  public  affair,  as  members 
only  were  eligible,  and  upon  these 
occasions  all  the  "medicine  bags" 
and  totems  of  the  various  lodges 
were  displayed  and  their  peculiar 
"medicine  songs"  were  sung.  The 
food  was  only  partaken  of  by  invited 
guests,  and  not  by  the  hosts,  or  lodge 
making  the  feast. 

The  "Grand  Medicine  Dance" 
67 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

was  given  on  the  occasion  of  initiat 
ing  those  candidates  who  had  fin 
ished  their  probation,  a  sufficient 
number  of  whom  were  designated 
to  take  the  places  of  those  who  had 
died  since  the  last  meeting.  Invita 
tions  were  sent  out  in  the  form  of 
small  bundles  of  tobacco.  Two  very 
large  teepees  were  pitched  facing  one 
another,  a  hundred  feet  apart,  half 
open,  and  connected  by  a  roofless  hall 
or  colonnade  of  fresh-cut  boughs. 
One  of  these  lodges  was  for  the  so 
ciety  giving  the  dance  and  the  nov 
ices,  the  other  was  occupied  by  the 
"soldiers,"  whose  duty  it  was  to  dis 
tribute  the  refreshments,  and  to  keep 
order  among  the  spectators.  They 
68 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

were  selected  from  among  the  best 
and  bravest  warriors  of  the  tribe. 

The  preparations  being  complete, 
and  the  members  of  each  lodge 
garbed  and  painted  according  to 
their  rituals,  they  entered  the  hall 
separately,  in  single  file,  led  by  their 
oldest  man  or  "Great  Chief."  Stand 
ing  before  the  "Soldiers'  Lodge," 
facing  the  setting  sun,  their  chief 
addressed  the  "Great  Mystery"  di 
rectly  in  a  few  words,  after  which  all 
extending  the  right  arm  horizontally 
from  the  shoulder  with  open  palm, 
sang  a  short  invocation  in  unison, 
ending  with  a  deep :  "  E-ho-ho-ho ! " 
This  performance,  which  was  really 
impressive,  was  repeated  in  front  of 
69 


THE   SOUL    OF    THE    INDIAN 

the  headquarters  lodge,  facing  the 
rising  sun,  after  which  each  lodge 
took  its  assigned  place,  and  the  songs 
and  dances  followed  in  regular  order. 
The  closing  ceremony,  which  was 
intensely  dramatic  in  its  character, 
was  the  initiation  of  the  novices, 
who  had  received  their  final  prepa 
ration  on  the  night  before.  They 
were  now  led  out  in  front  of  the 
headquarters  lodge  and  placed  in  a 
kneeling  position  upon  a  carpet  of 
rich  robes  and  furs,  the  men  upon 
the  right  hand,  stripped  and  painted 
black,  with  a  round  spot  of  red  just 
over  the  heart,  while  the  women, 
dressed  in  their  best,  were  arranged 
upon  the  left.  Both  sexes  wore  the 
70 


CEREMONIAL    WORSHIP 

hair  loose,  as  if  in  mourning  or  ex 
pectation  of  death.  An  equal  num 
ber  of  grand  medicine-men,  each  of 
whom  was  especially  appointed  to 
one  of  the  novices,  faced  them  at  a 
distance  of  half  the  length  of  the 
hall,  or  perhaps  fifty  feet. 

After  silent  prayer,  each  medicine 
man  in  turn  addressed  himself  to  his 
charge,  exhorting  him  to  observe  all 
the  rules  of  the  order  under  the  eye 
of  the  Mysterious  One,  and  instruct 
ing  him  in  his  duty  toward  his  fel 
low-man  and  toward  the  Ruler  of 
Life.  All  then  assumed  an  attitude 
of  superb  power  and  dignity,  crouch 
ing  slightly  as  if  about  to  spring  for 
ward  in  a  foot-race,  and  grasping 
71 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

their  medicine  bags  firmly  in  both 
hands.  Swinging  their  arms  forward 
at  the  same  moment,  they  uttered 
their  guttural  "Yo-ho-ho-ho  !"  in 
perfect  unison  and  with  startling  ef 
fect.  In  the  midst  of  a  breathless  si 
lence,  they  took  a  step  forward,  then 
another  and  another,  ending  a  rod 
or  so  from  the  row  of  kneeling  vic 
tims,  with  a  mighty  swing  of  the  sa 
cred  bags  that  would  seem  to  project 
all  their  mystic  powerinto  the  bodies 
of  the  initiates.  Instantly  they  all  fell 
forward,  apparently  lifeless. 

With  this  thrilling  climax,   the 

drums  were  vigorously  pounded  and 

the  dance  began  again  with  energy. 

After  a  few  turns  had   been  taken 

72 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

about  the  prostrate  bodies  of  the  new 
members,  covering  them  with  fine 
robes  and  other  garments  which  were 
later  to  be  distributed  as  gifts,  they 
were  permitted  to  come  to  life  and 
to  join  in  the  final  dance.  The  whole 
performance  was  clearly  symbolic 
of  death  and  resurrection. 

While  I  cannot  suppose  that  this 
elaborate  ritual,  with  its  use  of  public 
and  audible  prayer,  of  public  exhort 
ation  or  sermon,and  other  Caucasian 
features,  was  practiced  before  com 
paratively  modern  times,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  it  was  conscientiously  be 
lieved  in  by  its  members,  and  for  a 
time  regarded  with  reverence  by  the 
people.  But  at  a  later  period  it  be- 
73 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

came  still  further  demoralized  and 
fell  under  suspicion  of  witchcraft. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  In 
dian  held  medicine  close  to  spiritual 
things,  but  in  this  also  he  has  been 
much  misunderstood ;  in  fact,  every 
thing  that  he  held  sacred  is  indis 
criminately  called  "  medicine,"  in 
the  sense  of  mystery  or  magic.  As  a 
doctor,  he  was  originally  very  adroit 
and  often  successful.  He  employed 
only  healing  bark,  roots,  and  leaves 
with  whose  properties  he  was  famil 
iar,  using  them  in  the  form  of  a  dis 
tillation  or  tea  and  always  singly. 
The  stomach  or  internal  bath  was 
a  valuable  discovery  of  his,  and  the 
vapor  or  Turkish  bath  was  in  general 
74 


CEREMONIAL  WORSHIP 
use.  He  could  set  a  broken  bone  with 
fair  success,  but  never  practiced  sur 
gery  in  any  form.  In  addition  to  all 
this,  the  medicine-man  possessed 
much  personal  magnetism  and  au 
thority,  and  in  his  treatment  often 
sought  to  reestablish  the  equilib 
rium  of  the  patient  through  mental 
or  spiritual  influences  —  a  sort  of 
primitive  psycho-therapy. 

The  Sioux  word  for  the  healing 
art  is  "  wah-pee-yah,"  which  lit 
erally  means  readjusting  or  making 
anew.  "  Pay-jee-hoo-tah,"  literally 
root,  means  medicine,  and  "wakan" 
signifies  spirit  or  mystery.  Thus  the 
three  ideas,  while  sometimes  asso 
ciated,  were  carefully  distinguished. 
75 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

It  is  important  to  remember  that 
in  the  old  days  the  "  medicine-man  " 
received  no  payment  for  his  services, 
which  were  of  the  nature  of  an  hon 
orable  function  or  office.  When  the 
idea  of  payment  and  barter  was 
introduced  among  us,  and  valuable 
presents  or  fees  began  to  be  de 
manded  for  treating  the  sick,  the  en 
suing  greed  and  rivalry  led  to  many 
demoralizing  practices,  and  in  time 
to  the  rise  of  the  modern  "con 
jurer,"  who  is  generally  a  fraud  and 
trickster  of  the  grossest  kind.  It  is 
fortunate  that  his  day  is  practically 
over. 

Ever  seeking  to  establish  spiritual 
comradeship  with  the  animal  crea- 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

tion,  the  Indian  adopted  this  or  that 
animal  as  his  "  totem,"  the  emblem 
atic  device  of  his  society,  family,  or 
clan.  It  is  probable  that  the  crea 
ture  chosen  was  the  traditional  an 
cestress,  as  we  are  told  that  the  First 
Man  had  many  wives  among  the 
animal  people.  The  sacred  beast, 
bird,  or  reptile,  represented  by  its 
stuffed  skin,  or  by  a  rude  painting,  was 
treated  with  reverence  and  carried 
into  battle  to  insure  the  guardianship 
of  the  spirits.  The  symbolic  attri 
bute  of  beaver,  bear,  or  tortoise,  such 
as  wisdom,  cunning,  courage,  and 
the  like,  was  supposed  to  be  myste 
riously  conferred  upon  the  wearer  of 
the  badge.  The  totem  or  charm  used 
77 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

in  medicine  was  ordinarily  that  of  the 
medicine  lodge  to  which  the  prac 
titioner  belonged,  though  there  were 
some  great  men  who  boasted  a  special 
revelation. 

There  are  two  ceremonial  usages 
which,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able 
to  ascertain,  were  universal  among 
American  Indians,  and  apparently 
fundamental.  These  have  already 
been  referred  to  as  the  "eneepee," 
or  vapor-bath,  and  the  "  chan-du-hu- 
pah-yu-za-pee,"  or  ceremonial  of 
the  pipe.  In  our  Siouan  legends 
and  traditions  these  two  are  preemi 
nent,  as  handed  down  from  the  most 
ancient  time  and  persisting  to  the 
last. 

78 


CEREMONIAL    WORSHIP 

In  our  Creation  myth  or  story  of 
the  First  Man,  the  vapor-bath  was 
the  magic  used  by  The-one-who- 
was-First-Created,  to  give  life  to  the 
dead  bones  of  his  younger  brother, 
who  had  been  slain  by  the  monsters 
of  the  deep.  Upon  the  shore  of  the 
Great  Water  he  dug  two  round 
holes,  over  one  of  which  he  built 
a  low  inclosure  of  fragrant  cedar 
boughs,  and  here  he  gathered  to 
gether  the  bones  of  his  brother.  In 
the  other  pit  he  made  a  fire  and 
heated  four  round  stones,  which  he 
rolled  one  by  one  into  the  lodge 
of  boughs.  Having  closed  every  ap 
erture  save  one,  he  sang  a  mystic 
chant  while  he  thrust  in  his  arm  and 
79 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE  INDIAN 

sprinkled  water  upon  the  stones  with 
a  bunch  of  sage.  Immediately  steam 
arose,  and  as  the  legend  says,  "there 
was  an  appearance  of  life/'  A  sec 
ond  time  he  sprinkled  water,  and 
the  dry  bones  rattled  together.  The 
third  time  he  seemed  to  hear  soft 
singing  from  within  the  lodge;  and 
the  fourth  time  a  voice  exclaimed : 
"  Brother,  let  me  out ! "  (It  should 
be  noted  that  the  number  four  is 
the  magic  or  sacred  number  of  the 
Indian.) 

This  story  gives  the  traditional 
origin  of  the  "eneepee,"  which  has 
ever  since  been  deemed  essential  to 
the  Indian's  effort  to  purify  and  re 
create  his  spirit.  It  is  used  both  by 
80 


CEREMONIAL  WORSHIP 
the  doctor  and  by  his  patient.  Every 
man  must  enter  the  cleansing  bath 
and  take  the  cold  plunge  which  fol 
lows,  when  preparing  for  any  spirit 
ual  crisis,  for  possible  death,  or  im 
minent  danger. 

Not  only  the  "eneepee"  itself, 
but  everything  used  in  connection 
with  the  mysterious  event,  the  aro 
matic  cedar  and  sage,  the  water,  and 
especially  the  water-worn  boulders, 
are  regarded  as  sacred,  or  at  the 
least  adapted  to  a  spiritual  use.  For 
the  rock  we  have  a  special  reverent 
name  —  "Tunkan,"  a  contraction 
of  the  Sioux  word  for  Grandfather. 

The  natural  boulder  enters  into 
many  of  our  solemn  ceremonials, 
81 


THE    SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

such  as  the  "Rain  Dance,"  and 
the  "Feast  of  Virgins."  The  lone 
hunter  and  warrior  reverently  holds 
up  his  filled  pipe  to  "Tunkan,"  in 
solitary  commemoration  of  a  mira 
cle  which  to  him  is  as  authentic  and 
holy  as  the  raising  of  Lazarus  to  the 
devout  Christian. 

There  is  a  legend  that  the  First 
Man  fell  sick,  and  was  taught  by  his 
Elder  Brother  the  ceremonial  use  of 
the  pipe,  in  a  prayer  to  the  spirits 
for  ease  and  relief.  This  simple  cer 
emony  is  the  commonest  daily  ex 
pression  of  thanks  or  "grace,"  as 
well  as  an  oath  of  loyalty  and  good 
faith  when  the  warrior  goes  forth 
upon  some  perilous  enterprise,  and  it 
82 


CEREMONIAL   WORSHIP 

enters  even  into  his  "  hambeday,"  or 
solitary  prayer,  ascending  as  a  rising 
vapor  or  incense  to  the  Father  of 
Spirits. 

In  all  the  war  ceremonies  and  in 
medicine  a  special  pipe  is  used,  but 
at  home  or  on  the  hunt  the  warrior 
employs  his  own.  The  pulverized 
weed  is  mixed  with  aromatic  bark 
of  the  red  willow,  and  pressed  lightly 
into  the  bowl  of  the  long  stone  pipe. 
The  worshiper  lights  it  gravely  and 
takes  a  whiff  or  two ;  then,  standing 
erect,  he  holds  it  silently  toward  the 
Sun,  our  father,  and  toward  the  Earth, 
our  mother.  There  are  modern  va 
riations,  as  holding  the  pipe  to  the 
Four  Winds,  the  Fire,  Water,  Rock, 
83 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

and  other  elements  or  objects  of  rev 
erence. 

There  are  many  religious  festi 
vals  which  are  local  and  special  in 
character,  embodying  a  prayer  for 
success  in  hunting  or  warfare,  or 
for  rain  and  bountiful  harvests,  but 
these  two  are  the  sacraments  of  our 
religion.  For  baptism  we  substitute 
the  "eneepee,"  the  purification  by 
vapor,  and  in  our  holy  communion 
we  partake  of  the  soothing  incense 
of  tobacco  in  the  stead  of  bread  and 
wine. 


IV 

BARBARISM   AND    THE 
MORAL    CODE 


IV 

BARBARISM   AND   THE   MORAL 
CODE 

Silence  the  Corner-Stone  of  Character.  Basic  Ideas  of 
'    Morality.   "  Give  All  or  Nothing  !  "  Rules 
of  Honorable  Warfare.  An  Indian 
Conception  of  Courage. 

LONG  before  I  ever  heard  of  Christ, 
or  saw  a  white  man,  I  had  learned 
from  an  untutored  woman  the  es 
sence  of  morality.  With  the  help  of 
dear  Nature  herself,  she  taught  me 
things  simple  but  of  mighty  import. 
I  knew  God.  I  perceived  what  good 
ness  is.  I  saw  and  loved  what  is  really 
beautiful.  Civilization  has  not  taught 
me  anything  better! 

87 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  INDIAN 
As  a  child,  I  understood  how  to 
give ;  I  have  forgotten  that  grace  since 
I  became  civilized.  I  lived  the  nat 
ural  life,  whereas  I  now  live  the  ar 
tificial.  Any  pretty  pebble  was  val 
uable  to  me  then;  every  growing  tree 
an  object  of  reverence.  Now  I  wor 
ship  with, Ah e  white  man  before  a 
painted  landscape  whose  value  is  es 
timated  in  dollars !  Thus  the  Indian 
is  reconstructed,  as  the  natural  rocks 
are  ground  to  powder,  and  made  into 
artificial  blocks  which  may  be  built 
into  the  walls  of  modern  society. 

The  first  American  mingled  with 
his  pride  a  singular  humility.  Spir 
itual  arrogance  was  foreign  to  his  na 
ture  and  teaching.  He  never  claimed 
88 


THE    MORAL    CODE 

that  the  power  of  articulate  speech 
was  proof  of  superiority  over  the 
dumb  creation;  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  to  him  a  perilous  gift.  He  be 
lieves  profoundly  in  silence — the 
sign  of  a  perfect  equilibrium.  Silence 
is  the  absolute  poise  or  balance  of 
body,  mind,  and  spirit.  The  man  who 
preserves  his  selfhood  ever  calm  and 
unshaken  by  the  storms  of  existence 
—  not  a  leaf,  as  it  were,  astir  on  the 
tree ;  not  a  ripple  upon  the  surface 
of  shining  pool  —  his,  in  the  mind 
of  the  unlettered  sage,  is  the  ideal 
attitude  and  conduct  of  life. 

Ifyouaskhim:  "What  is  silence?" 
he  will  answer:  "It   is  the  Great 
Mystery ! "  "  The  holy  silence  is  His 
89 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  INDIAN 
voice!"  If  you  ask:  "What  are  the 
fruits  of  silence?"  he  will  say : 
"They  are  self-control,  true  courage 
or  endurance,  patience,  dignity,  and 
reverence.  Silence  is  the  corner-stone 
of  character." 

"  Guard  your  tongue  in  youth," 
said  the  old  chief,  Wabashaw,  "and 
in  age  you  may  mature  a  thought  that 
will  be  of  service  to  your  people!" 

The  moment  that  man  conceived 
of  a  perfect  body,  supple,  symmet 
rical,  graceful,  and  enduring — in 
that  moment  he  had  laid  the  found 
ation  of  a  moral  life !  No  man  can 
hope  to  maintain  such  a  temple  of 
the  spirit  beyond  the  period  of  ado 
lescence,  unless  he  is  able  to  curb  his 
90 


THE    MORAL    CODE 

indulgence  in  the  pleasures  of  the 
senses.  Upon  this  truth  the  Indian 
built  a  rigid  system  of  physical  train 
ing,  a  social  and  moral  code  that  was 
the  law  of  his  life. 

There  was  aroused  in  him  as  a 
child  a  high  ideal  of  manly  strength 
and  beauty,  the  attainment  of  which 
must  depend  upon  strict  temperance 
in  eating  and  in  the  sexual  relation, 
together  with  severe  and  persistent 
exercise.  He  desired  to  be  a  worthy 
link  in  the  generations,  and  that  he 
might  not  destroy  by  his  weakness 
that  vigor  and  purity  of  blood  which 
had  been  achieved  at  the  cost  of 
much  self-denial  by  a  long  line  of 
ancestors. 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

He  was  required  to  fast  from  time 
to  time  for  short  periods,  and  to 
work  off  his  superfluous  energy  by 
means  of  hard  running,  swimming, 
and  the  vapor-bath.  The  bodily  fa 
tigue  thus  induced,  especially  when 
coupled  with  a  reduced  diet,  is  a 
reliable  cure  for  undue  sexual  de 
sires. 

Personal  modesty  was  early  culti 
vated  as  a  safeguard,  together  \vith 
a  strong  self-respect  and  pride  of 
family  and  race.  This  was  accom 
plished  in  part  by  keeping  the  child 
ever  before  the  public  eye,  from  his 
(birth  onward.  His  entrance  into 
the  world,  especially  in  the  case  of 
the  first-born,  was  often  publicly  an- 

92 


THE   MORAL   CODE 
i 

nounced  by  the  herald,  accompanied 
by  a  distribution  of  presents  to  the 
old  and  needy.  The  same  thing  oc 
curred  when  he  took  his  first  step, 
when  his  ears  were  pierced,  and 
when  he  shot  his  first  game,  so  that 
his  childish  exploits  and  progress 
were  known  to  the  whole  clan  as  to 
a  larger  family,  and  he  grew  into 
manhood  with  the  saving  sense  of  a 
reputation  to  sustain. 

The  youth  was  encouraged  to  en 
list  early  in  the  public  service,  and 
to  develop  a  wholesome  ambition 
for  the  honors  of  a  leader  and  feast- 
maker,  which  can  never  be  his  un 
less  he  is  truthful  and  generous,  as 
well  as  brave,  and  ever  mindful 
93 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

of  his  personal  chastity  and  honor. 
There  were  many  ceremonial  cus 
toms  which  had  a  distinct  moral 
influence ;  the  woman  was  rigidly 
secluded  at  certain  periods,  and  the 
young  husband  was  forbidden  to 
approach  his  own  wife  when  pre 
paring  for  war  or  for  any  religious 
event.  The  public  or  tribal  posi 
tion  of  the  Indian  is  entirely  de 
pendent  upon  his  private  virtue,  and 
he  is  never  permitted  to  forget  that 
he  does  not  live  to  himself  alone, 
but  to  his  tribe  and  his  clan.  Thus 
habits  of  perfect  self-control  were 
early  established,  and  there  were  no 
unnatural  conditions  or  complex 
temptations  to  beset  him  until  he  was 
94 


THE   MORAL   CODE 

met  and  overthrown  by  a  stronger 
race. 

To  keep  the  young  men  and  young 
women  strictly  to  their  honor,  there 
were  observed  among  us,  within 
my  own  recollection,  certain  annual 
ceremonies  of  a  semi-religious  na 
ture.  One  of  the  most  impressive 
of  these  was  the  sacred  "  Feast  of 
Virgins,"  which,  when  given  for  the 
first  time,  was  equivalent  to  the  pub 
lic  announcement  of  a  young  girl's 
arrival  at  a  marriageable  age.  The 
herald,  making  the  rounds  of  the 
teepee  village,  would  publish  the 
feast  something  after  this  fashion : 

"Pretty  Weasel-woman,  thedaugh- 
ter  of  Brave  Bear,  will  kindle  her 
95 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

first  maidens'  fire  to-morrow !  All  ye 
who  have  never  yielded  to  the  plead 
ing  of  man,  who  have  not  destroyed 
your  innocency,  you  alone  are  in 
vited,  to  proclaim  anew  before  the 
Sun  and  the  Earth,  before  your  com 
panions  and  in  the  sight  of  the  Great 
Mystery,  the  chastity  and  purity  of 
your  maidenhood.  Come  ye,  all  who 
have  not  known  man ! " 

The  whole  village  was  at  once 
aroused  to  the  interest  of  the  com 
ing  event,  which  was  considered  next 
to  the  Sun  Dance  and  the  Grand 
Medicine  Dance  in  public  import 
ance.  It  always  took  place  in  mid 
summer,  when  a  number  of  different 
clans  were  gathered  together  for  the 
96 


THE   MORAL   CODE 

summer  festivities,  and  was  held  in 
the  centre  of  the  great  circular  en 
campment. 

Here  two  circles  were  described, 
one  within  the  other,  about  a  rudely 
heart-shaped  rockwhich  was  touched 
with  red  paint,  and  upon  either  side 
of  the  rock  there  were  thrust  into 
the  ground  a  knife  and  two  arrows. 
The  inner  circle  was  for  the  maidens, 
and  the  outer  one  for  their  grand 
mothers  or  chaperon es,  who  were 
supposed  to  have  passed  the  climac 
teric.  Upon  the  outskirts  of  the 
feast  there  was  a  great  public  gather 
ing,  in  which  order  was  kept  by  cer 
tain  warriors  of  highest  reputation. 
Any  man  among  the  spectators  might 
97 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

approach  and  challenge  any  young 
woman  whom  he  knew  to  be  un 
worthy;  but  if  the  accuser  failed  to 
prove  his  charge,  the  warriors  were 
accustomed  to  punish  him  severely. 

Each  girl  in  turn  approached  the 
sacred  rock  and  laid  her  hand  upon 
it  with  all  solemnity.  This  was  her 
religious  declaration  of  her  virginity, 
her  vow  to  remain  pure  until  her  mar 
riage.  If  she  should  ever  violate  the 
maidens'  oath,  then  welcome  that 
keen  knife  and  those  sharp  arrows! 

Our  maidens  were  ambitious  to 
attend  a  number  of  these  feasts  be 
fore  marriage,  and  it  sometimes  hap 
pened  that  a  girl  was  compelled  to 
give  one,  on  account  of  gossip  about 
98 


THE   MORAL   CODE 
A 

her  conduct.  Then  it  was  in  the  na 
ture  of  a  challenge  to  the  scandal 
mongers  to  prove  their  words!  A 
similar  feast  was  sometimes  made 
by  the  young  men,  for  whom  the 
rules  were  even  more  strict,  since  no 
young  man  might  attend  this  feast 
who  had  so  much  as  spoken  of  love 
to  a  maiden.  It  was  considered  a 
high  honor  among  us  to  have  won 
some  distinction  in  war  and  the 
chase,  and  above  all  to  have  been 
invited  to  a  seat  in  the  council,  be 
fore  one  had  spoken  to  any  girl  save 
his  own  sister. 

It  was  our  belief  that  the  love  of 
possessions  is  a  weakness  to  be  over 
come.    Its  appeal  is  to  the  material 
99 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

part,  and  if  allowed  its  way  it  will 
in  time  disturb  the  spiritual  balance 
of  the  man.  Therefore  the  child 
must  early  learn  the  beauty  of  gen 
erosity.  He  is  taught  to  give  what 
he  prizes  most,  and  that  he  may 
taste  the  happiness  of  giving,  he  is 
made  at  an  early  age  the  family  al 
moner.  If  a  child  is  inclined  to  be 
grasping,  or  to  cling  to  any  of  his 
little  possessions,  legends  are  related 
to  him,  telling  of  the  contempt  and 
disgrace  falling  upon  the  ungener 
ous  and  mean  man. 

Public  giving  is  a  part  of  every 
important  ceremony.  It  properly 
belongs  to  the  celebration  of  birth, 
marriage,  and  death,  and  is  observed 

IOO 


THE   MORAL   CODE 

whenever  it  is  desired  to  do  special 
honor  to  any  person  or  event.  Upon 
such  occasions  it  is  common  to  give 
to  the  point  of  utter  impoverish 
ment.  The  Indian  in  his  simplicity 
literally  gives  away  all  that  he  has,  to 
relatives,  to  guests  of  another  tribe  or 
clan,  but  above  all  to  the  poor  and 
the  aged,  from  whom  he  can  hope 
for  no  return.  Finally,  the  gift  to 
the  "Great  Mystery,"  the  religious 
offering,  may  be  of  little  value  in  it 
self,  but  to  the  giver's  own  thought 
it  should  carry  the  meaning  and  re 
ward  of  true  sacrifice. 

Orphans  and  the  aged  are  inva 
riably  cared  for,  not  only  by  their 
next  of  kin,  but  by  the  whole  clan. 

101 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

It  is  the  loving  parent's  pride  to 
have  his  daughters  visit  the  unfor 
tunate  and  the  helpless,  carry  them 
food,  comb  their  hair,  and  mend 
their  garments.  The  name  "  Weno- 
nah,"  bestowed  upon  the  eldest 
daughter,  distinctly  implies  all  this, 
and  a  girl  who  failed  in  her  chari 
table  duties  was  held  to  be  un 
worthy  of  the  name. 

The  man  who  is  a  skillful  hunter, 
and  whose  wife  is  alive  to  her  op 
portunities,  makes  many  feasts,  to 
which  he  is  careful  to  invite  the 
older  men  of  his  clan,  recognizing 
that  they  have  outlived  their  period 
of  greatest  activity,  and  now  love 
nothing  so  well  as  to  eat  in  good 

102 


THE   MORAL   CODE 

company,  and  to  live  over  the  past. 
The  old  men,  for  their  part,  do  their 
best  to  requite  his  liberality  with  a 
little  speech,  in  which  they  are  apt 
to  relate  the  brave  and  generous 
deeds  of  their  host's  ancestors,  finally 
congratulating  him  upon  being  a 
worthy  successor  of  an  honorable 
line.  Thus  his  reputation  is  won  as 
a  hunter  and  a  feast-maker,  and  al 
most  as  famous  in  his  way  as  the 
great  warrior  is  he  who  has  a  recog 
nized  name  and  standing  as  a  "  man 
of  peace/' 

The  true   Indian   sets  no   price 

upon  either  his  property  or  his  labor. 

His  generosity  is  only  limited  by  his 

strength  and  ability.  He  regards  it 

103 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

as  an  honor  to  be  selected  for  a  diffi 
cult  or  dangerous  service,  and  would 
think  it  shame  to  ask  for  any  re 
ward,  saying  rather :  "  Let  him 
whom  I  serve  express  his  thanks 
according  to  his  own  bringing  up 
and  his  sense  of  honor  !  " 

Nevertheless,  he  recognizes  rights 
in  property.  To  steal  from  one  of 
his  own  tribe  would  be  indeed  dis 
grace,  and  if  discovered,  the  name 
of  "  Wamanon,"  or  Thief,  is  fixed 
upon  him  forever  as  an  unalter 
able  stigma.  The  only  exception 
to  the  rule  is  in  the  case  of  food, 
which  is  always  free  to  the  hungry 
if  there  is  none  by  to  offer  it.  Other 
protection  than  the  moral  law  there 
104 


THE   MORAL   CODE 

could  not  be  in  an  Indian  commu 
nity,  where  there  were  neither  locks 
nor  doors,  and  everything  was  open 
^and  easy  of  access  to  all  comers. 

The  property  of  the  enemy  is 
spoil  of  war,  and  it  is  always  allow 
able  to  confiscate  it  if  possible.  How 
ever,  in  the  old  days  there  was  not 
much  plunder.  Before  the  coming 
of  the  white  man,  there  was  in  fact 
little  temptation  or  opportunity  to 
despoil  the  enemy;  but  in  modern 
times  the  practice  of  "  stealing 
horses"  from  hostile  tribes  has  be 
come  common,  and  is  thought  far 
from  dishonorable. 

Warfare  we  regarded  as  an  insti 
tution  of  the  "  Great  Mystery  " — 
105 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

an  organized  tournament  or  trial  of 
courage  and  skill,  with  elaborate 
rules  and  "counts"  for  the  coveted 
honor  of  the  eagle  feather.  It  was 
held  to  develop  the  quality  of  man 
liness,  and  its  motive  was  chivalric 
or  patriotic,  but  never  the  desire  for 
territorial  aggrandizement  or  the 
overthrow  of  a  brother  nation.  It 
was  common,  in  early  times,  for  a 
battle  or  skirmish  to  last  all  day,  with 
great  display  of  daring  and  horse 
manship,  but  with  scarcely  more 
killed  and  wounded  than  may  be  car 
ried  from  the  field  during  a  univer 
sity  game  of  football. 

The  slayer  of  a  man  in  battle  was 

expected  to  mourn  for  thirty  days, 
106 


THE   MORAL   CODE 

blackening  his  face  and  loosening 
his  hair  according  to  the  custom. 
He  of  course  considered  it  no  sin  to 
take  the  life  of  an  enemy,  and  this 
ceremonial  mourning  was  a  sign  of 
reverence  for  the  departed  spirit. 
The  killing  in  war  of  non-combat 
ants,  such  as  women  and  children, 
is  partly  explained  by  the  fact  that 
in  savage  life  the  woman  without 
husband  or  protector  is  in  pitiable 
case,  and  it  was  supposed  that  the 
spirit  of  the  warrior  would  be  better 
content  if  no  widow  and  orphans 
were  left  to  suffer  want,  as  well  as 
to  weep. 

A  scalp  might  originally  be  taken 
by  the  leader  of  the  war  party  only, 
107 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

and  at  that  period  no  other  mutila 
tion  was  practiced.  It  was  a  small 
lock  not  more  than  three  inches 
square,  which  was  carried  only  dur 
ing  the  thirty  days'  celebration  of  a 
victory,  and  afterward  given  reli 
gious  burial.  Wanton  cruelties  and 
the  more  barbarous  customs  of  war 
were  greatly  intensified  with  the 
coming  of  the  white  man,  who 
brought  with  him  fiery  liquor  and 
deadly  weapons,  aroused  the  Indian's 
worst  passions,  provoking  in  him  re 
venge  and  cupidity,  and  even  offered 
bounties  for  the  scalps  of  innocent 
men,  women,  and  children. 

Murder  within  the  tribe  was  a 
grave  offense,  to  be  atoned  for  as  the 
108 


THE   MORAL   CODE 

council  might  decree,  and  it  often 
happened  that  the  slayer  was  called 
upon  to  pay  the  penalty  with  his 
own  life.  He  made  no  attempt  to 
escape  or  to  evade  justice.  That  the 
crime  was  committed  in  the  depths 
of  the  forest  or  at  dead  of  night, 
witnessed  by  no  human  eye,  made 
no  difference  to  his  mind.  He  was 
thoroughly  convinced  that  all  is 
known  to  the  "  Great  Mystery,"  and 
hence  did  not  hesitate  to  give  him 
self  up,  to  stand  his  trial  by  the  old 
and  wise  men  of  the  victim's  clan. 
His  own  family  and  clan  might  by 
no  means  attempt  to  excuse  or  to 
defend  him,  but  his  judges  took  all 
the  known  circumstances  into  con- 
109 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

sideration,  and  if  it  appeared  that  he 
slew  in  self-defense,  or  that  the  pro 
vocation  was  severe,  he  might  be 
set  free  after  a  thirty  days'  period 
of  mourning  in  solitude.  Otherwise 
the  murdered  man's  next  of  kin  were 
authorized  to  take  his  life ;  and  if 
they  refrained  from  doing  so,  as  often 
happened,  he  remained  an  outcast 
from  the  clan.  A  willful  murder  was 
a  rare  occurrence  before  the  days 
of  whiskey  and  drunken  rows,  for  we 
were  not  a  violent  or  a  quarrelsome 
people. 

It  is  well  remembered  that  Crow 
Dog,  who  killed  the  Sioux  chief, 
Spotted  Tail,  in   1881,  calmly  sur 
rendered  himself  and  was  tried  and 
no 


THE   MORAL   CODE 

convicted  by  the  courts  in  South 
Dakota.  After  his  conviction,  he 
was  permitted  remarkable  liberty  in 
prison,  such  as  perhaps  no  white 
man  has  ever  enjoyed  when  under 
sentence  of  death. 

The  cause  of  his  act  was  a  sol 
emn  commission  received  from  his 
people,  nearly  thirty  years  earlier,  at 
the  time  that  Spotted  Tail  usurped 
the  chieftainship  by  the  aid  of  the 
military,  whom  he  had  aided.  Crow 
Dog  was  under  a  vow  to  slay  the 
chief,  in  case  he  ever  betrayed  or 
disgraced  the  name  of  the  Brule 
Sioux.  There  is  no  doubt  that  he 
had  committed  crimes  both  public 
and  private,  having  been  guilty  of 


in 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  INDIAN 
misuse  of  office  as  well  as  of  gross 
offenses  against  morality  ;  therefore 
his  death  was  not  a  matter  of  per 
sonal  vengeance  but  of  just  retribu 
tion. 

A  few  days  before  Crow  Dog  was 
to  be  executed,  he  asked  permission 
to  visit  his  home  and  say  farewell  to 
his  wife  and  twin  boys,  then  nine 
or  ten  years  old.  Strange  to  say,  the 
request  was  granted,  and  the  con 
demned  man  sent  home  under  escort 
of  the  deputy  sheriff,  who  remained 
at  the  Indian  agency,  merely  telling 
his  prisoner  to  report  there  on  the 
following  day.  When  he  did  not  ap 
pear  at  the  time  set,  the  sheriff  dis 
patched  the  Indian  police  after  him. 


112 


THE   MORAL   CODE 

They  did  not  find  him,  and  his  wife 
simply  said  that  Crow  Dog  had  de 
sired  to  ride  alone  to  the  prison, 
and  would  reach  there  on  the  day 
appointed.  All  doubt  was  removed 
next  day  by  a  telegram  from  Rapid 
City,  two  hundred  miles  distant,  say 
ing:  "Crow  Dog  has  just  reported 
here." 

The  incident  drew  public  atten 
tion  to  the  Indian  murderer,  with 
the  unexpected  result  that  the  case 
was  reopened,  and  Crow  Dog  acquit 
ted.  He  still  lives,  a  well-preserved 
man  of  about  seventy-five  years,  and 
is  much  respected  among  his  own 
people. 

It  is  said  that,  in  the  very  early 
113 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

(V^ 

days,  lying  was  a  capital  offense 
among  us.  Believing  that  the  delib 
erate  liar  is  capable  of  committing 
any  crime  behind  the  screen  of  cow 
ardly  untruth  and  double-dealing, 
the  destroyer  of  mutual  confidence 
was  summarily  put  to  death,  that  the 
evil  might  go  no  further. 

Even  the  worst  enemies  of  the 
Indian,  those  who  accuse  him  of 
treachery,  blood-thirstiness,  cruelty, 
and  lust,  have  not  denied  his  cour 
age,  but  in  their  minds  it  is  a  cour 
age  that  is  ignorant,  brutal,  and 
fantastic.  His  own  conception  of 
bravery  makes  of  it  a  high  moral 
virtue,  for  to  him  it  consists  not  so 
much  in  aggressive  self-assertion  as 
114 


THE  MORAL  CODE 
in  absolute  self-control.  The  truly 
brave  man,we  contend,  yields  neither 
to  fear  nor  anger,  desire  nor  agony  ; 
he  is  at  all  times  master  of  himself; 
his  courage  rises  to  the  heights  of 
chivalry,  patriotism,  and  real  hero 
ism. 

"Let  neither  cold,  hunger,  nor 
pain,  nor  the  fear  of  them,  neither 
the  bristling  teeth  of  danger  nor  the 
very  jaws  of  death  itself,  prevent 
you  from  doing  a  good  deed/'  said 
an  old  chief  to  a  scout  who  was 
about  to  seek  the  buffalo  in  midwin 
ter  for  the  relief  of  a  starving  people. 
This  was  his  childlike  conception 
of  courage. 


THE   UNWRITTEN   SCRIP 
TURES 


V 

THE  UNWRITTEN  SCRIPTURES 

A  Living  Book.   The  Sioux  Story  of  Creation.  The 

First  Battle.    Another  Version  of  the  Flood. 

Our  Animal  Ancestry. 

A  MISSIONARY  once  undertook  to 
instruct  a  group  of  Indians  in  the 
truths  of  his  holy  religion.  He  told 
them  of  the  creation  of  the  earth  in 
six  days,  and  of  the  fall  of  our  first 
parents  by  eating  an  apple. 

The  courteous  savages  listened  at 
tentively,  and,  after  thanking  him, 
one  related  in  his  turn  a  very  an 
cient  tradition  concerning  the  ori 
gin  of  the  maize.  But  the  mission- 
up 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE    INDIAN 

ary  plainly  showed  his  disgust  and 
disbelief,  indignantly  saying:  — 

"  What  I  delivered  to  you  were 
sacred  truths,  but  this  that  you  tell 
me  is  mere  fable  and  falsehood  ! " 

"  My  brother,"  gravely  replied 
the  offended  Indian,  "  it  seems  that 
you  have  not  been  well  grounded  in 
the  rules  of  civility.  You  saw  that 
we,  who  practice  these  rules,  believed 
your  stories  ;  why,  then,  do  you  re 
fuse  to  credit  ours  ? " 

Every  religion  has  its  Holy  Book, 
and  ours  was  a  mingling  of  history, 
poetry,  and  prophecy,  of  precept  and 
folk-lore,  even  such  as  the  modern 
reader  finds  within  the  covers  of 
}.his  Bible.  This  Bible  of  ours  was 

120 


THE    UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

our  whole  literature,  a  living  Book, 
sowed  as  precious  seed  by  our  wisest 
sages,  and  springing  anew  in  the 
wondering  eyes  and  upon  the  inno 
cent  lips  of  little  children.  Upon  its 
hoary  wisdom  of  proverb  and  fable, 
its  mystic  and  legendary  lore  thus 
sacredly  preserved  and  transmitted 
from  father  to  son,  was  based  in  large 
part  our  customs  and  philosophy. 

Naturally  magnanimous  and  open- 
minded,  the  red  man  prefers  to  be 
lieve  that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  not 
breathed  into  man  alone,  but  that  the 
whole  created  universe  is  a  sharer  in 
the  immortal  perfection  of  its  Maker. 
His  imaginative  and  poetic  mind, 
like  that  of  the  Greek,  assigns  to 

121 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

every  mountain,  tree,  and  spring  its 
spirit,  nymph,  or  divinity,  either  be 
neficent  or  mischievous.  The  heroes 
and  demigods  of  Indian  tradition  re 
flect  the  characteristic  trend  of  his 
thought,  and  his  attribution  of  per 
sonality  and  will  to  the  elements, 
the  sun  and  stars,  and  all  animate 
or  inanimate  nature. 

In  the  Sioux  story  of  creation,  the 
great  Mysterious  One  is  not  brought 
directly  upon  the  scene  or  conceived 
in  anthropomorphic  fashion,  but  re 
mains  sublimely  in  the  background. 
The  Sun  and  the  Earth,  represent 
ing  the  male  and  female  principles, 
are  the  main  elements  in  his  crea 
tion,  the  other  planets  being  sub- 

122 


THE    UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

sidiary.  The  enkindling  warmth  of 
the  Sun  entered  into  the  bosom  of 
our  mother,  the  Earth,  and  forth 
with  she  conceived  and  brought 
forth  life,  both  vegetable  and  animal. 
Finally  there  appeared  mysteri 
ously  Ish-na-e-cha-ge,  the  "First- 
Born,"  a  being  in  the  likeness  of 
man,  yet  more  than  man,  who 
roamed  solitary  among  the  animal 
people  and  understood  their  ways 
and  their  language.  They  beheld 
him  with  wonder  and  awe,  for  they 
could  do  nothing  without  his  know 
ledge.  He  had  pitched  his  tent  in 
the  centre  of  the  land,  and  there 
was  no  spot  impossible  for  him  to 
penetrate. 

123 


THE    SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

At  last,  like  Adam,  the  "  First- 
Born  "  of  the  Sioux  became  weary 
of  living  alone,  and  formed  for  him 
self  a  companion  —  not  a  mate,  but 
a  brother — not  out  of  a  rib  from  his 
side,  but  from  a  splinter  which  he 
drew  from  his  great  toe  !  This  was 
the  Little  Boy  Man,  who  was  not 
created  full-grown,  but  as  an  inno 
cent  child,  trusting  and  helpless. 
His  Elder  Brother  was  his  teacher 
throughout  every  stage  of  human 
progress  from  infancy  to  manhood, 
and  it  is  to  the  rules  which  he  laid 
down,  and  his  counsels  to  the  Little 
Boy  Man,  that  we  trace  many  of  our 
most  deep-rooted  beliefs  and  most 
sacred  customs. 

124 


THE   UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

Foremost  among  the  animal  peo 
ple  was  Unk-to-mee,  the  Spider,  the 
original  trouble-maker,  who  noted 
keenly  the  growth  of  the  boy  in  wit 
and  ingenuity,  and  presently  advised 
the  animals  to  make  an  end  of  him  ; 
"for,"  said  he,  "  if  you  do  not,  some 
day  he  will  be  the  master  of  us  all ! " 
But  they  all  loved  the  Little  Boy 
Man,  because  he  was  so  friendly  and 
so  playful.  Only  the  monsters  of  the 
deep  sea  listened,  and  presently  took 
his  life,  hiding  his  body  in  the  bot 
tom  of  the  sea.  Nevertheless,  by  the 
magic  power  of  the  First-Born,  the 
body  was  recovered  and  was  given 
life  again  in  the  sacred  vapor-bath, 
as  described  in  a  former  chapter. 
125 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

Once  more  our  first  ancestor 
roamed  happily  among  the  animal 
people,  who  were  in  those  days  a 
powerful  nation.  He  learned  their 
ways  and  their  language  —  for  they 
had  a  common  tongue  in  those  days ; 
learned  to  sing  like  the  birds,  to  swim 
like  the  fishes,  and  to  climb  sure 
footed  over  rocks  like  the  mountain 
sheep.  Notwithstanding  that  he  was 
their  good  comrade  and  did  them  no 
harm,  Unk-to-mee  once  more  sowed 
dissension  among  the  animals,  and 
messages  were  sent  into  all  quarters 
of  the  earth,  sea,  and  air,  that  all  the 
tribes  might  unite  to  declare  war 
upon  the  solitary  man  who  was  des 
tined  to  become  their  master. 
126 


THE    UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

After  a  time  the  young  man  dis 
covered  the  plot,  and  came  home 
very  sorrowful.  He  loved  his  ani 
mal  friends,  and  was  grieved  that 
they  should  combine  against  him. 
Besides,  he  was  naked  and  unarmed. 
But  his  Elder  Brother  armed  him 
with  a  bow  and  flint-headed  arrows, 
a  stone  war-club  and  a  spear.  He 
likewise  tossed  a  pebble  four  times 
into  the  air,  and  each  time  it  be 
came  a  cliff  or  wall  of  rock  about 
the  teepee. 

"  Now/'  said  he,  "  it  is  time  to 
fight  and  to  assert  your  supremacy, 
for  it  is  they  who  have  brought  the 
trouble  upon  you,  and  not  you  upon 

them !  " 

127 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

Night  and  day  the  Little  Boy 
Man  remained  upon  the  watch  for 
his  enemies  from  the  top  of  the  wall, 
and  at  last  he  beheld  the  prairies 
black  with  buffalo  herds,  and  the  elk 
gathering  upon  the  edges  of  the 
forest.  Bears  and  wolves  were  clos 
ing  in  from  all  directions,  and  now 
from  the  sky  the  Thunder  gave  his 
fearful  war-whoop,  answered  by  the 
wolf's  long  howl. 

The  badgers  and  other  burrow- 
ers  began  at  once  to  undermine  his 
rocky  fortress,  while  the  climbers 
undertook  to  scale  its  perpendicular 
walls. 

Then  for  the  first  time  on  earth 
the  bow  was  strung,  and  hundreds 
128 


THE    UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

of  flint-headed  arrows  found  their 
mark  in  the  bodies  of  the  animals, 
while  each  time  that  the  Boy  Man 
swung  his  stone  war-club,  his  ene 
mies  fell  in  countless  numbers. 

Finally  the  insects,  the  little  peo 
ple  of  the  air,  attacked  him  in  a 
body,  filling  his  eyes  and  ears,  and 
tormenting  him  with  their  poisoned 
spears,  so  that  he  was  in  despair. 
He  called  for  help  upon  his  Elder 
Brother,  who  ordered  him  to  strike 
the  rocks  with  his  stone  war-club. 
As  soon  as  he  had  done  so,  sparks 
of  fire  flew  upon  the  dry  grass  of 
the  prairie  and  it  burst  into  flame. 
A  mighty  smoke  ascended,  which 
drove  away  the  teasing  swarms  of 
129 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

the  insect  people,  while  the  flames 
terrified  and  scattered  the  others. 

This  was  the  first  dividing  of  the 
trail  between  man  and  the  animal 
people,  and  when  the  animals  had 
sued  for  peace,  the  treaty  provided 
that  they  must  ever  after  furnish 
man  with  flesh  for  his  food  and  skins 
for  clothing,  though  not  without 
effort  and  danger  on  his  part.  The 
little  insects  refused  to  make  any 
concession,  and  have  ever  since  been 
the  tormentors  of  man;  however, 
the  birds  of  the  air  declared  that 
they  would  punish  them  for  their 
obstinacy,  and  this  they  continue  to 
do  unto  this  day. 

Our  people  have  always  claimed 
130 


THE    UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

that  the  stone  arrows  which  are 
found  so  generally  throughout  the 
country  are  the  ones  that  the  first 
man  used  in  his  battle  with  the  ani 
mals.  It  is  not  recorded  in  our  tra 
ditions,  much  less  is  it  within  the 
memory  of  our  old  men,  that  we 
have  ever  made  or  used  similar  ar 
row-heads.  Some  have  tried  to  make 
use  of  them  for  shooting  fish  under 
water,  but  with  little  success,  and 
they  are  absolutely  useless  with  the 
Indian  bow  which  was  in  use  when 
America  was  discovered.  It  is  pos 
sible  that  they  were  made  by  some 
pre-historic  race  who  used  much 
longer  and  stronger  bows,  and  who 
were  workers  in  stone,  which  our 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

people  were  not.  Their  stone  im 
plements  were  merely  natural  boul 
ders  or  flint  chips,  fitted  with  handles 
of  raw-hide  or  wood,  except  the 
pipes,  which  were  carved  from  a 
species  of  stone  which  is  soft  when 
first  quarried,  and  therefore  easily 
worked  with  the  most  primitive 
tools.  Practically  all  the  flint  arrow 
heads  that  we  see  in  museums  and 
elsewhere  were  picked  up  or  ploughed 
up,  while  some  have  been  dishon 
estly  sold  by  trafficking  Indians  and 
others,  embedded  in  trees  and  bones. 
We  had  neither  devil  nor  hell  in 
our  religion  until  the  white  man 
brought  them  to  us,  yet  Unk-to- 
mee,  the  Spider,  was  doubtless  akin 
132 


THE   UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

to  that  old  Serpent  who  tempted 
mother  Eve.  He  is  always  charac 
terized  as  tricky,  treacherous,  and  at 
the  same  time  affable  and  charming, 
being  not  without  the  gifts  of  wit, 
prophecy,  and  eloquence.  He  is  an 
adroit  magician,  able  to  assume  al 
most  any  form  at  will,  and  imper 
vious  to  any  amount  of  ridicule  and 
insult.  Here  we  have,  it  appears,  the 
elements  of  the  story  in  Genesis; 
the  primal  Eden,  the  tempter  in 
animal  form,  and  the  bringing  of 
sorrow  and  death  upon  earth  through 
the  elemental  sins  of  envy  and  jeal 
ousy. 

The   warning  conveyed   in    the 
story  of  Unk-to-mee  was  ever  used 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

with  success  by  Indian  parents,  and 
especially  grandparents,  in  the  in 
struction  of  their  children.  Ish-na- 
e-cha-ge,  on  the  other  hand,  was  a 
demigod  and  mysterious  teacher, 
whose  function  it  was  to  initiate  the 
first  man  into  his  tasks  and  pleasures 
here  on  earth. 

After  the  battle  with  the  animals, 
there  followed  a  battle  with  the  ele 
ments,  which  in  some  measure  par 
allels  the  Old  Testament  story  of  the 
flood.  In  this  case,  the  purpose  seems 
to  have  been  to  destroy  the  wicked 
animal  people,  who  were  too  many 
and  too  strong  for  the  lone  man. 

The  legend  tells  us  that  when  fall 
came,  the  First-Born  advised  his 
'34 


THE  UNWRITTEN  SCRIPTURES 
younger  brother  to  make  for  him 
self  a  warm  tent  of  buffalo  skins, 
and  to  store  up  much  food.  No 
sooner  had  he  done  this  than  it 
began  to  snow,  and  the  snow  fell 
steadily  during  many  moons.  The 
Little  Boy  Man  made  for  himself 
snow-shoes,  and  was  thus  enabled  to 
hunt  easily,  while  the  animals  fled 
from  him  with  difficulty.  Finally 
wolves,  foxes,  and  ravens  came  to  his 
door  to  beg  for  food,  and  he  helped 
them,  but  many  of  the  fiercer  wild 
animals  died  of  cold  and  starvation. 
One  day,  when  the  hungry  ones 
appeared,  the  snow  was  higher  than 
the  tops  of  the  teepee  poles,  but  the 
Little  Boy  Man's  fire  kept  a  hole 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

open  and  clear.  Down  this  hole  they 
peered,  and  lo  !  the  man  had  rubbed 
ashes  on  his  face  by  the  advice  of 
his  Elder  Brother,  and  they  both  lay 
silent  and  motionless  on  either  side 
of  the  fire. 

Then  the  fox  barked  and  the 
raven  cawed  his  signal  to  the  wan 
dering  tribes,  and  they  all  rejoiced 
and  said:  "Now  they  are  both  dy 
ing  or  dead,  and  we  shall  have  no 
more  trouble!"  But  the  sun  ap 
peared,  and  a  warm  wind  melted 
the  snow-banks,  so  that  the  land 
was  full  of  water.  The  young  man 
and  his  Teacher  made  a  birch-bark 
canoe,  which  floated  upon  the  sur 
face  of  the  flood,  while  of  the  ani- 

136 


THE    UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

mals  there  were  saved  only  a  few, 
who  had  found  a  foothold  upon 
the  highest  peaks. 

The  youth  had  now  passed  tri 
umphantly  through  the  various  or 
deals  of  his  manhood.  One  day  his 
Elder  Brother  spoke  to  him  and  said: 
"  You  have  now  conquered  the  ani 
mal  people,  and  withstood  the  force 
of  the  elements.  You  have  subdued 
the  earth  to  your  will,  and  still  you 
are  alone !  It  is  time  to  go  forth  and 
find  a  woman  whom  you  can  love, 
and  by  whose  help  you  may  repro 
duce  your  kind." 

"But  how  am  I  to  do  this?"  re 
plied  the  first  man,  who  was  only 
an  inexperienced  boy.  "  I  am  here 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

alone,  as  you  say,  and  I  know  not 
where  to  find  a  woman  or  a  mate!" 

"  Go  forth  and  seek  her,"  replied 
the  Great  Teacher ;  and  forthwith 
the  youth  set  out  on  his  wanderings 
in  search  of  a  wife.  He  had  no  idea 
how  to  make  love,  so  that  the  first 
courtship  was  done  by  the  pretty 
and  coquettish  maidens  of  the  Bird, 
Beaver,  and  Bear  tribes.  There  are 
some  touching  and  whimsical  love 
stories  which  the  rich  imagination 
of  the  Indian  has  woven  into  this 
old  legend. 

It  is  said,  for  example,  that  at  his 
first  camp  he  had  built  for  himself 
a  lodge  of  green  boughs  in  the  midst 
of  the  forest,  and  that  there  his  rev- 

138 


THE    UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

erie  was  interrupted  by  a  voice  from 
the  wilderness  —  a  voice  that  was 
irresistibly  and  profoundly  sweet.  In 
some  mysterious  way,  the  soul  of  the 
young  man  was  touched  as  it  had 
never  been  before,  for  this  call  of 
exquisite  tenderness  and  allurement 
was  the  voice  of  the  eternal  woman ! 
Presently  a  charming  little  girl 
stood  timidly  at  the  door  of  his  pine- 
bough  wigwam.  She  was  modestly 
dressed  in  gray,  with  a  touch  of  jet 
about  her  pretty  face,  and  she  car 
ried  a  basket  of  wild  cherries  which 
she  shyly  offered  to  the  young  man. 
So  the  rover  was  subdued,  and  love 
turned  loose  upon  the  world  to  up 
build  and  to  destroy  !  When  at  last 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

she  left  him,  he  peeped  through  the 
door  after  her,  but  saw  only  a  robin, 
with  head  turned  archly  to  one  side, 
fluttering  away  among  the  trees. 

His  next  camp  was  beside  a  clear, 
running  stream,  where  a  plump  and 
industrious  maid  was  busily  at  work 
chopping  wood.  He  fell  promptly 
in  love  with  her  also,  and  for  some 
time  they  lived  together  in  her  cosy 
house  by  the  waterside.  After  their 
boy  was  born,  the  wanderer  wished 
very  much  to  go  back  to  his  Elder 
Brother  and  to  show  him  his  wife 
and  child.  But  the  beaver-woman 
refused  to  go,  so  at  last  he  went 
alone  for  a  short  visit.  When  he 
returned,  there  was  only  a  trickle 
140 


THE    UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 
of  water   beside  the    broken   dam, 
the  beautiful  home  was  left  desolate, 
and  wife  and  child  were  gone  for 
ever! 

The  deserted  husband  sat  alone 
upon  the  bank,  sleepless  and  faint 
with  grief,  until  he  was  consoled  by 
a  comely  young  woman  in  glossy 
black,  who  took  compassion  upon 
his  distress  and  soothed  him  with 
food  and  loving  attentions.  This 
was  the  bear-woman,  from  whom 
again  he  was  afterward  separated  by 
some  mishap.  The  story  goes  that 
he  had  children  by  each  of  his  many 
wives,  some  of  whom  resembled 
their  father,  and  these  became  the 
ancestors  of  the  human  race,  while 
141 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

those  who  bore  the  characteristics 
of  their  mother  returned  to  her  clan. 
It  is  also  said  that  such  as  were  ab 
normal  or  monstrous  in  form  were 
forbidden  to  reproduce  their  kind, 
and  all  love  and  mating  between 
man  and  the  animal  creation  was 
from  that  time  forth  strictly  pro 
hibited.  There  are  some  curious  tra 
ditions  of  young  men  and  maidens 
who  transgressed  this  law  unknow 
ingly,  being  seduced  and  deceived 
by  a  magnificent  buck  deer,  perhaps, 
or  a  graceful  doe,  and  whose  fall  was 
punished  with  death. 

The  animal   totems    so   general 
among  the  tribes  were  said  to  have 
descended  to  them  from  their  great- 
142 


THE    UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

grandmother's  clan,  and  the  legend 
was  often  quoted  in  support  of  our 
close  friendship  with  the  animal 
people.  I  have  sometimes  wondered 
why  the  scientific  doctrine  of  man's 
descent  has  not  in  the  same  way 
apparently  increased  the  white 
man's  respect  for  these  our  humbler 
kin. 

Of  the  many  later  heroes  or  Hia- 
wathas  who  appear  in  this  volumi 
nous  unwritten  book  of  ours,  each 
introduced  an  epoch  in  the  long 
story  of  man  and  his  environment. 
There  is,  for  example,  the  Avenger 
of  the  Innocent,  who  sprang  from 
a  clot  of  blood ;  the  ragged  little 
boy  who  won  fame  and  a  wife  by 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

shooting  the  Red  Eagle  of  fateful 
omen;  and  the  Star  Boy,  who  was 
the  offspring  of  a  mortal  maiden 
and  a  Star. 

It  was  this  last  who  fought  for 
man  against  his  strongest  enemies, 
such  as  Wazeeyah,  the  Cold  or 
North-Wind.  There  was  a  desper 
ate  battle  between  these  two,  in 
which  first  one  had  the  advantage 
and  then  the  other,  until  both  were 
exhausted  and  declared  a  truce. 
While  he  rested,  Star  Boy  continued 
to  fan  himself  with  his  great  fan  of 
eagle  feathers,  and  the  snow  melted 
so  fast  that  North- Wind  was  forced 
to  arrange  a  treaty  of  peace,  by  which 
he  was  only  to  control  one  half 
144 


THE   UNWRITTEN   SCRIPTURES 

the  year.  So  it  was  that  the  orderly 
march  of  the  seasons  was  established, 
and  every  year  Star  Boy  with  his 
fan  of  eagle  feathers  sets  in  motion 
the  warm  winds  that  usher  in  the 
spring. 


VI 

ON  THE  BORDER-LAND  OF 
SPIRITS 


VI 

ON  THE  BORDER-LAND  OF 
SPIRITS 

Death  and  Funeral  Customs.   The  Sacred  Lock  of 

Hair.    Reincarnation  and  the  Converse  of 

Spirits.    Occult  and  Psychic  Powers. 

The  Gift  of  Prophecy. 

THE  attitude  of  the  Indian  toward 
death,  the  test  and  background  of 
life,  is  entirely  consistent  with  his 
character  and  philosophy.  Death 
has  no  terrors  for  him  ;  he  meets  it 
with  simplicity  and  perfect  calm, 
seeking  only  an  honorable  end  as  his 
last  gift  to  his  family  and  descend 
ants.  Therefore  he  courts  death  in 
battle;  on  the  other  hand,  he  would 
149 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

regard  it  as  disgraceful  to  be  killed 
in  a  private  quarrel.  If  one  be  dying 
at  home,  it  is  customary  to  carry 
his  bed  out  of  doors  as  the  end 
approaches,  that  his  spirit  may  pass 
under  the  open  sky. 

Next  to  this,  the  matter  that  con 
cerns  him  most  is  the  parting  with 
his  dear  ones,  especially  if  he  have 
any  little  children  who  must  be  left 
behind  to  suffer  want.  His  family 
affections  are  strong,  and  he  grieves 
intensely  for  the  lost,  even  though 
he  has  unbounded  faith  in  a  spirit 
ual  companionship. 

The  outward  signs  of  mourning 
for  the  dead  are  far  more  spontane 
ous  and  convincing  than  is  the  cor- 
150 


THE   BORDER-LAND   OF   SPIRITS 

rect  and  well-ordered  black  of  civ 
ilization.  Both  men  and  women 
among  us  loosen  their  hair  and  cut 
it  according  to  the  degree  of  rela 
tionship  or  of  devotion.  Consistent 
with  the  idea  of  sacrificing  all  per 
sonal  beauty  and  adornment,  they 
trim  off  likewise  from  the  dress  its 
fringes  and  ornaments,  perhaps  cut 
it  short,  or  cut  the  robe  or  blanket 
in  two.  The  men  blacken  their 
faces,  and  widows  or  bereaved  par 
ents  sometimes  gash  their  arms  and 
legs  till  they  are  covered  with  blood. 
Giving  themselves  up  wholly  to 
their  grief,  they  are  no  longer  con 
cerned  about  any  earthly  possession, 
and  often  give  away  all  that  they 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE    INDIAN 

have  to  the  first  comers,  even  to 
their  beds  and  their  home.  Finally, 
the  wailing  for  the  dead  is  continued 
night  and  day  to  the  point  of  utter 
voicelessness  ;  a  musical,  weird,  and 
heart-piercing  sound,  which  has  been 
compared  to  the  "keening"  of  the 
Celtic  mourner. 

The  old-time  burial  of  the  Plains 
Indians  was  upon  a  scaffold  of  poles, 
or  a  platform  among  the  boughs  of 
a  tree — their  only  means  of  placing 
the  body  out  of  reach  of  wild  beasts, 
as  they  had  no  implements  with 
which  to  dig  a  suitable  grave.  It 
was  prepared  by  dressing  in  the  finest 
clothes,  together  with  some  personal 
possessions  and  ornaments,  wrapped 
152 


THE   BORDER-LAND    OF  SPIRITS 

in  several  robes,  and  finally  in  a  se 
cure  covering  of  raw-hide.  As  a 
special  mark  of  respect,  the  body 
of  a  young  woman  or  a  warrior  was 
sometimes  laid  out  in  state  in  a  new 
teepee,  with  the  usual  household 
articles  and  even  with  a  dish  of  food 
left  beside  it,  not  that  they  supposed 
the  spirit  could  use  the  implements 
or  eat  the  food,  but  merely  as  a  last 
tribute.  Then  the  whole  people 
would  break  camp  and  depart  to  a 
distance,  leaving  the  dead  alone  in 
an  honorable  solitude. 

There  was   no   prescribed  cere 
mony  of  burial,  though  the  body 
was  carried  out  with  more  or  less 
solemnity  by  selected  young  men, 
'53 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

and  sometimes  noted  warriors  were 
the  pall-bearers  of  a  man  of  distinc 
tion.  It  was  usual  to  choose  a  promi 
nent  hill  with  a  commanding  out 
look  for  the  last  resting-place  of 
our  dead.  If  a  man  were  slain  in 
battle,  it  was  an  old  custom  to  place 
his  body  against  a  tree  or  rock  in  a 
sitting  position,  always  facing  the 
enemy,  to  indicate  his  undaunted 
defiance  and  bravery,  even  in  death. 
I  recall  a  touching  custom  among 
us,  which  was  designed  to  keep  the 
memory  of  the  departed  near  and 
warm  in  the  bereaved  household. 
A  lock  of  hair  of  the  beloved  dead 
was  wrapped  in  pretty  clothing,  such 
as  it  was  supposed  that  he  or  she 


THE  BORDER-LAND  OF  SPIRITS 
would  like  to  wear  if  living.  This 
"spirit  bundle,"  as  it  was  called,  was 
suspended  from  a  tripod,  and  occu 
pied  a  certain  place  in  the  lodge 
which  was  the  place  of  honor.  At 
every  meal  time,  a  dish  of  food  was 
placed  under  it,  and  some  person  of 
the  same  sex  and  age  as  the  one  who 
was  gone  must  afterward  be  invited 
in  to  partake  of  the  food.  At  the  end 
of  a  year  from  the  time  of  death,  the 
relatives  made  a  public  feast  and  gave 
away  the  clothing  and  other  gifts, 
while  the  lock  of  hair  was  interred 
with  appropriate  ceremonies. 

Certainly  the  Indian  never  doubted 
the  immortal  nature  of  the  spirit  or 
soul  of  man,  but  neither  did  he  care 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

to  speculate  upon  its  probable  state 
or  condition  in  a  future  life.  The 
idea  of  a  "happy  hunting-ground " 
is  modern  and  probably  borrowed, 
or  invented  by  the  white  man.  The 
primitive  Indian  was  content  to  be 
lieve  that  the  spirit  which  the  "  Great 
Mystery  "  breathed  into  man  returns 
to  Him  who  gave  it,  and  that  after  it 
is  freed  from  the  body,  it  is  every 
where  and  pervades  all  nature,  yet 
often  lingers  near  the  grave  or 
"spirit  bundle"  for  the  consolation 
of  friends,  and  is  able  to  hear  prayers. 
So  much  of  reverence  was  due  the 
disembodied  spirit,  that  it  was  not 
customary  with  us  even  to  name  the 
dead  aloud. 

156 


THE   BORDER-LAND    OF  SPIRITS 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Ameri 
can  Indian  had  somehow  developed 
occult  power,  and  although  in  the 
latter  days  there  have  been  many  im 
postors,  and,  allowing  for  the  vanity 
and  weakness  of  human  nature,  it  is 
fair  to  assume  that  there  must  have 
been  some  even  in  the  old  days,  yet 
there  are  well-attested  instances  of 
remarkable  prophecies  and  other 
mystic  practice. 

A  Sioux  prophet  predicted  the 
coming  of  the  white  man  fully  fifty 
years  before  the  event,  and  even  de 
scribed  accurately  his  garments  and 
weapons.  Before  the  steamboat  was 
invented,  another  prophet  of  our 
race  described  the  "  Fire  Boat"  that 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

would  swim  upon  their  mighty  river, 
the  Mississippi,  and  the  date  of  this 
prophecy  is  attested  by  the  term 
used,  which  is  long  since  obsolete. 
No  doubt,  many  predictions  have 
been  colored  to  suit  the  new  age, 
and  unquestionably  false  prophets, 
fakirs,  and  conjurers  have  become 
the  pest  of  the  tribes  during  the 
transition  period.  Nevertheless,  even 
during  this  period  there  was  here  and 
there  a  man  of  the  old  type  who  was 
implicitly  believed  in  to  the  last. 

Notable  among  these  was  Ta- 
chank-pee  H6-tank-a,  or  His  War 
Club  Speaks  Loud,  who  foretold  a 
year  in  advance  the  details  of  a  great 
war  -  party  against  the  Ojibways. 
158 


THE  BORDER-LAND   OF   SPIRITS 

There  were  to  be  seven  battles,  all 
successful  except  the  last,  in  which 
the  Sioux  were  to  be  taken  at  a  dis 
advantage  and  suffer  crushing  de 
feat.  This  was  carried  out  to  the 
letter.  Our  people  surprised  and 
slew  many  of  the  Ojibways  in  their 
villages,  but  in  turn  were  followed 
and  cunningly  led  into  an  ambush 
whence  but  few  came  out  alive. 
This  was  only  one  of  his  remark 
able  prophecies. 

Another  famous"  medicine-man" 
was  born  on  the  Rum  River  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  and 
lived  to  be  over  a  century  old.  He 
was  born  during  a  desperate  battle 
with  the  Ojibways,  at  a  moment 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

when,  as  it  seemed,  the  band  of 
Sioux  engaged  were  to  be  annihi 
lated.  Therefore  the  child's  grand 
mother  exclaimed  :  "  Since  we  are 
all  to  perish,  let  him  die  a  warrior's 
death  in  the  field!"  and  she  placed 
his  cradle  under  fire,  near  the  spot 
where  his  uncle  and  grandfathers 
were  fighting,  for  he  had  no  father. 
But  when  an  old  man  discovered 
the  new-born  child,  he  commanded 
the  women  to  take  care  of  him, 
"for,"  said  he,  "we  know  not  how 
precious  the  strength  of  even  one 
warrior  may  some  day  become  to 
his  nation  ! " 

This  child  lived  to  become  great 
among  us,  as  was  intimated  to  the 
1 60 


THE   BORDER-LAND    OF  SPIRITS 

superstitious  by  the  circumstances 
of  his  birth.  At  the  age  of  about 
seventy-five  years,  he  saved  his  band 
from  utter  destruction  at  the  hands 
of  their  ancestral  enemies,  by  sud 
denly  giving  warning  received  in  a 
dream  of  the  approach  of  a  large 
war-party.  The  men  immediately 
sent  out  scouts,  and  felled  trees  for 
a  stockade,  barely  in  time  to  meet 
and  repel  the  predicted  attack.  Five 
years  later,  he  repeated  the  service, 
and  again  saved  his  people  from  aw 
ful  slaughter.  There  was  no  con 
fusion  of  figures  or  omens,  as  with 
lesser  medicine-men,  but  in  every 
incident  that  is  told  of  him  his 
interpretation  of  the  sign,  what- 
161 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

ever  it  was,  proved  singularly  cor 
rect. 

The  father  of  Little  Crow,  the 
chief  who  led  the  "Minnesota  mas 
sacre"  of  1862,  was  another  prophet 
of  some  note.  One  of  his  charac 
teristic  prophecies  was  made  only  a 
few  years  before  he  died,  when  he 
had  declared  that,  although  already 
an  old  man,  he  would  go  once  more 
upon  the  war-path.  At  the  final 
war-feast,  he  declared  that  three 
of  the  enemy  would  be  slain,  but 
he  showed  great  distress  and  reluct 
ance  in  foretelling  that  he  would 
lose  two  of  his  own  men.  Three  of 
the  Ojibways  were  indeed  slain  as 
he  had  said,  but  in  the  battle  the 
162 


THE   BORDER-LAND    OF   SPIRITS 

old  war  prophet  lost  both  of  his 
two  sons. 

There  are  many  trustworthy  men, 
and  men  of  Christian  faith,  to  vouch 
for  these  and  similar  events  occur 
ring  as  foretold.  I  cannot  pretend 
to  explain  them,  but  I  know  that 
our  people  possessed  remarkable 
powers  of  concentration  and  abstrac 
tion,  and  I  sometimes  fancy  that 
such  nearness  to  nature  as  I  have  de 
scribed  keeps  the  spirit  sensitive  to 
impressions  not  commonly  felt,  and 
in  touch  with  the  unseen  powers. 
Some  of  us  seemed  to  have  a  pecu 
liar  intuition  for  the  locality  of  a 
grave,  which  they  explained  by  say 
ing  that  they  had  received  a  com- 
163 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  INDIAN 
munication  from  the  spirit  of  the 
departed.  My  own  grandmother 
was  one  of  these,  and  as  far  back  as 
I  can  remember,  when  camping  in 
a  strange  country,  my  brother  and 
I  would  search  for  and  find  human 
bones  at  the  spot  she  had  indicated 
to  us  as  an  ancient  burial-place  or 
the  spot  where  a  lone  warrior  had 
fallen.  Of  course,  the  outward  signs 
of  burial  had  been  long  since  ob 
literated. 

The  Scotch  would  certainly  have 
declared  that  she  had  the  "  second 
sight/'  for  she  had  other  remark 
able  premonitions  or  intuitions 
within  my  own  recollection.  I  have 
heard  her  speak  of  a  peculiar  sensa- 
164 


THE   BORDER-LAND   OF   SPIRITS 

tion  in  the  breast,  by  which,  as  she 
said,  she  was  advised  of  anything  of 
importance  concerning  her  absent 
children.  Other  native  women  have 
claimed  a  similar  monitor,  but  I 
never  heard  of  one  who  could  in 
terpret  it  with  such  accuracy.  We 
were  once  camping  on  Lake  Mani 
toba  when  we  received  news  that 
my  uncle  and  his  family  had  been 
murdered  several  weeks  before,  at 
a  fort  some  two  hundred  miles  dis 
tant.  While  all  our  clan  were  wail 
ing  and  mourning  their  loss,  my 
grandmother  calmly  bade  them 
cease,  saying  that  her  son  was  ap 
proaching,  and  that  they  would  see 
him  shortly.  Although  we  had  no 
165 


THE   SOUL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

other  reason  to  doubt  the  ill  tidings, 
it  is  a  fact  that  my  uncle  came  into 
camp  two  days  after  his  reported 
death. 

At  another  time,  when  I  was  four 
teen  years  old,  we  had  just  left  Fort 
Ellis  on  the  Assiniboine  River,  and 
my  youngest  uncle  had  selected  a 
fine  spot  for  our  night  camp.  It 
was  already  after  sundown,  but  my 
grandmother  became  unaccountably 
nervous,  and  positively  refused  to 
pitch  her  tent.  So  we  reluctantly 
went  on  down  the  river,  and  camped 
after  dark  at  a  secluded  place.  The 
next  day  we  learned  that  a  family 
who  were  following  close  behind 
had  stopped  at  the  place  first  selected 
166 


THE   BORDER-LAND    OF   SPIRITS* 

by  my  uncle,  but  were  surprised  in 
the  night  by  a  roving  war-party,  and 
massacred  to  a  man.  This  incident 
made  a  great  impression  upon  our 
people. 

Many  of  the  Indians  believed  that 
one  may  be  born  more  than  once, 
and  there  were  some  who  claimed 
to  have  full  knowledge  of  a  former 
incarnation.  There  were  also  those 
who  held  converse  with  a  "twin 
spirit,"  who  had  been  born  into  an 
other  tribe  or  race.  There  was  a  well- 
known  Sioux  war-prophet  who  lived 
in  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  so 
that  he  is  still  remembered  by  the 
old  men  of  his  band.  After  he  had 
reached  middle  age,  he  declared  that 
167 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  INDIAN 
he  had  a  spirit  brother  among  the 
Ojibways,  the  ancestral  enemies  of 
the  Sioux.  He  even  named  the  band 
to  which  his  brother  belonged,  and 
said  that  he  also  was  a  war-prophet 
among  his  people. 

Upon  one  of  their  hunts  along 
the  border  between  the  two  tribes, 
the  Sioux  leader  one  evening  called 
his  warriors  together,  and  solemnly 
declared  to  them  that  they  were 
about  to  meet  a  like  band  of  Ojib- 
way  hunters,  led  by  his  spirit  twin. 
Since  this  was  to  be  their  first  meet 
ing  since  they  were  born  as  strangers, 
he  earnestly  begged  the  young  men 
to  resist  the  temptation  to  join  battle 
with  their  tribal  foes. 
168 


THE   BORDER-LAND    OF  SPIRITS 

"You  will  know  him  at  once," 
the  prophet  said  to  them,  "  for  he 
will  not  only  look  like  me  in  face 
and  form,  but  he  will  display  the 
same  totem,  and  even  sing  my  war 
songs ! " 

They  sent  out  scouts,  who  soon 
returned  with  news  of  the  approach 
ing  party.  Then  the  leading  men 
started  with  their  peace-pipe  for  the 
Ojibway  camp,  and  when  they  were 
near  at  hand  they  fired  three  distinct 
volleys,  a  signal  of  their  desire  for 
a  peaceful  meeting. 

The  response  came  in  like  man 
ner,  and  they  entered  the  camp, 
with  the  peace-pipe  in  the  hands  of 
the  prophet. 

169 


THE   SOUL    OF   THE   INDIAN 

Lo,  the  stranger  prophet  advanced 
to  meet  them,  and  the  people  were 
greatly  struck  with  the  resemblance 
between  the  two  men,  who  met  and 
embraced  one  another  with  unusual 
fervor. 

It  was  quickly  agreed  by  both 
parties  that  they  should  camp  to 
gether  for  several  days,  and  one  even 
ing  the  Sioux  made  a  "  warriors' 
feast "  to  which  they  invited  many 
of  the  Ojibways.  The  prophet  asked 
his  twin  brother  to  sing  one  of  his 
sacred  songs,  and  behold !  it  was  the 
very  song  that  he  himself  was  wont 
to  sing.  This  proved  to  the  warriors 
beyond  doubt  or  cavil  the  claims  of 
their  seer. 

170 


CF 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


CAMBRIDGE  .  MASSACHUSETTS 
U   .   S    .  A 


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•  2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 
(510)642-6753 

•  1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing 
books  to  NRLF 

•  Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made 
4  days  prior  to  due  date 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 
SENT  ON  ILL 

JAN  3  0  ?0(M 

U.  C.  BERK£*J£Y 


DD20   15M  4-02 


ned 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


Ik"?*! 


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212110 


